boy's name
Aurélien
oh-ray-LYAN
- Origin French
- Gender Boy
- Letters 8
- Popularity Top 1000 (France)
- Births on record 80,780
France
#455
2025 births
Aurélien means golden, from a Roman family name, and the emperor who carried it built the walls that still ring Rome — Aurelian's wall went up in the 270s and much of it is standing.
- Aurélien is a name of French origin.
- Peaked in France in 1986, when 3,870 babies were given the name.
- It has been falling over the past decade in France.
- Today about 1 in 5,895 babies in France is given this name.
- First appears in birth records in 1900.
Aurélien over time
Births per decade in France, 1900s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1900s | 375 |
| 1910s | 410 |
| 1920s | 450 |
| 1930s | 360 |
| 1940s | 205 |
| 1950s | 180 |
| 1960s | 155 |
| 1970s | 6,665 |
| 1980s | 35,655 |
| 1990s | 22,210 |
| 2000s | 10,395 |
| 2010s | 2,920 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 670 |
What Aurélien means
Aurélien means golden. The Latin aureus is the ordinary word for gold, and the Roman family name built on it was probably chosen for hair or complexion.
Where Aurélien comes from
Aurélien is the French form of Aurelianus, from the Roman gens Aurelius and the Latin aureus, golden — the same root as the aureole around a saint's head and the aurum whose symbol is still Au. The emperor Aurelian reunited a fragmenting empire in five years and built the walls around Rome that are still largely standing, having judged the city no longer safe. Aurélie, written up separately, is the feminine of the same family name.
Aurélien in use
Aurélien peaked in France in 1986, when 3,870 babies were registered, and is falling in our data. It now ranks 455th in France on 100 births, 4215th in England and Wales and 8137th in the United States, across 80,780 lifetime births in three of the seven markets we track. Aurélie, its feminine, peaked three years earlier and has left every chart.
How popular is Aurélien?
In 2025, Aurélien was given to 100 babies in France, ranking #455 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Aurélien is used
French counts are rounded to the nearest five and nothing below five is published, so these figures show the shape of the name's use rather than an exact tally. Data & sources.
How Aurélien is spelled
Birth registers count each spelling separately, so every one has its own ranking.
| Spelling | What it is | Births on record |
|---|---|---|
| Aurelien | Aurelien is a spelling of Aurélien, used in the United States, where it ranks #8,137. | 705 |
Names that peaked alongside Aurélien
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Aurélien also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Aurélien over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
1 nickname for Aurélien
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Aurélien in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Aurélien
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Aurélien — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Aurélien
What does the name Aurélien mean?
Golden — from the Latin aureus, through the Roman family name Aurelius.
Who was the emperor Aurelian?
The ruler who reunited a fragmenting empire in five years and walled Rome in the 270s.
Is Aurélien related to Aurélie?
Yes — the masculine and feminine of the same Roman family name.
How popular is Aurélien?
455th in France, down from a 1986 peak of 3,870 births.
Is Aurélien a girl's or a boy's name?
Aurélien is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
What are the nicknames for Aurélien?
Aurélien is usually shortened to Aurel.
Is Aurélien a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Aurélien currently ranks #455 in France. It has been falling over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.