Fun Facts About the Name Aran
- More than 1 thousand babies named Aran: U.S. records list 1,001 babies given the name Aran from 1880 through 2025. Even 27 girls received the name Aran - about 1 girl for every 36 boys.
What Does the Name Aran Mean?
Aran has more than one independent origin, so it carries more than one meaning. In the Pyrenees, Aran is the name of the Val d'Aran (Aran Valley) in Catalonia, Spain; that place name is usually explained as coming from Basque haran, "valley," and the personal name is taken from the valley. In Ireland, Aran is the English form of Árainn (genitive Árann), the Irish name of the Aran Islands off County Galway. The Irish word árainn means "kidney" (and also "loin"), and the island name is commonly glossed as "ridge," perhaps describing the shape of the land; the exact sense in the place name is not certain. A third, unrelated name is the biblical Hebrew Aran, a son of Dishan listed among the Horites (Genesis 36:28; 1 Chronicles 1:42); its meaning is uncertain.
Aran Name History & Origins
The Valley of Aran lies in the Catalan Pyrenees, where the local speech, Aranese, is a form of Gascon Occitan. The valley's name is generally taken from Basque haran, "valley," though some scholars treat it instead as an older, pre-Indo-European word and not specifically Basque; either way, the Romance-speaking people of the region kept the older name. In Catalan-speaking areas Aran is used as a given name taken from the valley. The Aran Islands in Ireland appear in Irish as Oileáin Árann, built on Árainn; the islands became familiar in English through J. M. Synge's The Aran Islands (1907) and Robert Flaherty's film Man of Aran (1934), and the English form Aran is generally understood as taken from the islands rather than from an earlier Irish personal name. The Hebrew Aran of Genesis is a minor Horite chief in the genealogies of Esau, and it has remained rare as a Jewish given name. In English-speaking countries, Aran is also sometimes written as a spelling of the separate Hebrew name Aaron; the similar-looking Scottish island name Arran and the Caucasian place name Aran (in present-day Azerbaijan) are different names and are not the source of this one.
How Popular is the Name Aran?
Aran 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 2025. Its best rank was #2,286 in 1971.
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 | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | #10,216 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1983 | #10,373 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1978 | #7,692 | 7 | 0.0005% |
| 1977 | #7,606 | 7 | 0.0005% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #3,130 | 38 | 0.0022% |
| 2024 | #3,595 | 31 | 0.0018% |
| 2023 | #3,348 | 35 | 0.0020% |
| 2022 | #3,279 | 36 | 0.0021% |
| 2021 | #6,728 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 2020 | #3,816 | 27 | 0.0016% |
| 2019 | #3,349 | 34 | 0.0019% |
| 2018 | #3,898 | 27 | 0.0015% |
| 2017 | #3,521 | 31 | 0.0017% |
| 2016 | #4,485 | 22 | 0.0012% |
| 2015 | #4,413 | 22 | 0.0011% |
| 2014 | #3,537 | 30 | 0.0016% |
| 2013 | #4,327 | 22 | 0.0012% |
| 2012 | #3,378 | 32 | 0.0017% |
| 2011 | #3,798 | 27 | 0.0014% |
| 2010 | #4,374 | 22 | 0.0011% |
| 2009 | #4,168 | 24 | 0.0012% |
| 2008 | #3,568 | 30 | 0.0015% |
| 2007 | #4,248 | 23 | 0.0011% |
| 2006 | #3,894 | 25 | 0.0012% |
| 2005 | #4,335 | 20 | 0.0010% |
| 2004 | #3,867 | 23 | 0.0012% |
| 2003 | #4,123 | 20 | 0.0010% |
| 2002 | #4,719 | 16 | 0.0008% |
| 2001 | #6,481 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 2000 | #4,591 | 16 | 0.0008% |
| 1999 | #4,778 | 14 | 0.0007% |
| 1998 | #5,494 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1997 | #5,305 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1996 | #6,012 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1995 | #7,030 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1994 | #3,922 | 16 | 0.0008% |
| 1993 | #5,381 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1992 | #6,710 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1991 | #4,244 | 13 | 0.0006% |
| 1989 | #5,188 | 9 | 0.0004% |
| 1988 | #3,928 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 1987 | #7,030 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1986 | #4,146 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1985 | #4,063 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1984 | #3,717 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1983 | #4,150 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1982 | #4,252 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1981 | #3,871 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1980 | #3,855 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1979 | #4,089 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1978 | #2,801 | 15 | 0.0009% |
| 1977 | #2,795 | 15 | 0.0009% |
| 1976 | #3,273 | 11 | 0.0007% |
| 1975 | #2,914 | 13 | 0.0008% |
| 1974 | #3,573 | 9 | 0.0006% |
| 1973 | #2,862 | 12 | 0.0008% |
| 1972 | #3,166 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1971 | #2,286 | 17 | 0.0010% |
| 1970 | #4,252 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1969 | #3,077 | 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.
Explore More Lists with Name Aran
Most Popular Boy Names That Start with A
Short Boy Names That Start with A
How the Name Aran 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 are very intuitive. You have a reservoir of inspired wisdom combined with inherited analytical ability, which could reward you through expressions of spiritual leadership, business analysis, marketing, artistic visions, and scientific research. Operating on spiritual side of your individuality can bring you to the great heights, and drop you off if you neglect your spiritual identity. You are always looking for an opportunity to investigate the unknown, to use and show your mental abilities, to find the purpose and meaning of life. You want to grow wise and to understand people and things. You need privacy to replenish your energy. You have a unique way of thinking, intuitive, reflective, absorbing.
✦ Aran's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Aran's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.