Fun Facts About the Name Aiko
- More than 1 thousand babies named Aiko: U.S. records list 1,883 babies given the name Aiko from 1880 through 2025. Even 100 boys received the name Aiko - about 1 boy for every 18 girls.
What Does the Name Aiko Mean?
Aiko is a Japanese feminine given name meaning "beloved child." Its most familiar written form is 愛子, made of 愛 (ai, "love, affection") and 子 (ko, "child"), so the literal sense is "child of love."
Japanese given names are written in kanji, and a single reading can be matched with more than one set of characters. Because of this, the literal meaning of Aiko depends on the spelling a family chooses; spellings that use a different first character, such as one meaning "indigo," carry a different literal sense, and some characters are picked mainly for their sound. The 愛子 spelling is the one usually cited, and the customary English gloss "beloved child" follows it.
Aiko Name History & Origins
Japanese women's names ending in 子, the character for "child," go back to the Heian-period court, where noblewomen bore names such as 彰子 and 定子. From the aristocracy the ending spread to warrior families and later to commoners, and from the Meiji period onward it was a very common final element in girls' names. Aiko is one of the names built on that pattern, with the first element 愛 ("love") giving it its particular sense.
The name is written with various kanji in practice, and the spelling 愛子, "love" plus "child," is the one generally meant. Japanese families who emigrated to the United States, Brazil, and other countries took the name with them, and it appears in those communities as well.
Princess Aiko, daughter of Emperor Naruhito, born in 2001, is a widely known bearer; her name is written 愛子. The name was already in use before her birth and is a conventional Japanese formation rather than one tied to any single public figure.
How Popular is the Name Aiko?
Aiko has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 2023. Its best rank was #1,155 in 1919.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #2,720 | 63 | 0.0039% |
| 2024 | #2,378 | 76 | 0.0047% |
| 2023 | #2,351 | 77 | 0.0048% |
| 2022 | #2,925 | 57 | 0.0035% |
| 2021 | #3,068 | 53 | 0.0032% |
| 2020 | #2,889 | 56 | 0.0035% |
| 2019 | #3,334 | 47 | 0.0028% |
| 2018 | #4,460 | 31 | 0.0018% |
| 2017 | #5,518 | 23 | 0.0013% |
| 2016 | #5,286 | 25 | 0.0014% |
| 2015 | #5,468 | 24 | 0.0013% |
| 2014 | #4,270 | 34 | 0.0019% |
| 2013 | #5,494 | 24 | 0.0014% |
| 2012 | #4,963 | 28 | 0.0016% |
| 2011 | #4,916 | 28 | 0.0016% |
| 2010 | #4,024 | 37 | 0.0021% |
| 2009 | #3,303 | 50 | 0.0027% |
| 2008 | #4,008 | 39 | 0.0021% |
| 2007 | #5,100 | 28 | 0.0015% |
| 2006 | #3,995 | 37 | 0.0019% |
| 2005 | #4,195 | 33 | 0.0018% |
| 2004 | #4,821 | 27 | 0.0015% |
| 2003 | #4,111 | 32 | 0.0018% |
| 2002 | #3,732 | 35 | 0.0019% |
| 2001 | #7,733 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 2000 | #6,212 | 17 | 0.0009% |
| 1999 | #7,731 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 1998 | #5,587 | 18 | 0.0010% |
| 1997 | #6,168 | 15 | 0.0009% |
| 1996 | #7,137 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 1995 | #9,576 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1994 | #6,679 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 1993 | #6,272 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 1992 | #8,743 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1991 | #7,432 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1990 | #6,871 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 1989 | #8,771 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1988 | #11,814 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1987 | #7,991 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1986 | #10,928 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1985 | #9,315 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1984 | #9,155 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1983 | #6,715 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1982 | #9,245 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1981 | #8,141 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1979 | #10,223 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1978 | #8,572 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1976 | #9,299 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1975 | #7,179 | 7 | 0.0005% |
| 1974 | #8,794 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1973 | #8,438 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1972 | #6,564 | 7 | 0.0005% |
| 1971 | #8,336 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1958 | #6,111 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 1943 | #3,807 | 7 | 0.0005% |
| 1939 | #3,433 | 7 | 0.0006% |
| 1938 | #3,183 | 8 | 0.0007% |
| 1937 | #4,259 | 5 | 0.0005% |
| 1936 | #3,378 | 7 | 0.0007% |
| 1935 | #2,734 | 10 | 0.0010% |
| 1934 | #2,743 | 10 | 0.0010% |
| 1933 | #2,405 | 12 | 0.0012% |
| 1932 | #2,366 | 13 | 0.0012% |
| 1931 | #1,750 | 20 | 0.0019% |
| 1930 | #2,114 | 16 | 0.0014% |
| 1929 | #1,704 | 22 | 0.0020% |
| 1928 | #1,680 | 24 | 0.0021% |
| 1927 | #1,670 | 25 | 0.0021% |
| 1926 | #1,262 | 38 | 0.0032% |
| 1925 | #1,252 | 39 | 0.0032% |
| 1924 | #1,244 | 41 | 0.0033% |
| 1923 | #1,429 | 32 | 0.0027% |
| 1922 | #1,366 | 34 | 0.0028% |
| 1921 | #2,195 | 17 | 0.0014% |
| 1920 | #1,350 | 34 | 0.0028% |
| 1919 | #1,155 | 41 | 0.0036% |
| 1918 | #1,567 | 26 | 0.0022% |
| 1917 | #1,773 | 20 | 0.0018% |
| 1916 | #2,133 | 15 | 0.0014% |
| 1915 | #2,690 | 10 | 0.0010% |
| 1914 | #2,879 | 7 | 0.0009% |
| 1913 | #2,543 | 7 | 0.0011% |
| 1912 | #2,153 | 8 | 0.0014% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #6,462 | 13 | 0.0008% |
| 2024 | #8,972 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 2023 | #4,744 | 21 | 0.0012% |
| 2022 | #4,571 | 22 | 0.0013% |
| 2021 | #5,344 | 17 | 0.0010% |
| 2020 | #7,511 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 2019 | #8,228 | 9 | 0.0005% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Aiko Shapes Your Personality and Life?
Powerful and complete. You are good intellectually and require several outlets for your energies. You are not a builder but a planner, and you want others to carry out your plans. You are bold, independent, inquisitive and interested in research. You know what you want and why you want it.
You desire to inspire and lead, to control other's affairs. You are giving, courageous and bold, action oriented,energetic and strong willed. You want to make a difference in the world, and this attitude often attracts you to cultural interests, politics, social issues, and the cultivation of your creative talents.
✦ Aiko's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Aiko's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.