Fun Facts About the Name Ayse
- 556 babies named Ayse: U.S. records list 556 babies given the name Ayse from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Ayse Mean?
Ayse is the Turkish form of the Arabic female name ʿĀʾisha (عائشة), which is built on the root ʿ-y-sh, meaning "to live." The name is a feminine participle, so its literal sense is "living" or "alive." Turkish writes it Ayşe, using ş for the "sh" sound; Ayse is the spelling used wherever that letter is unavailable. Along the way from Arabic into Turkish, the final -a of ʿĀʾisha became -e, and the Arabic ʿayn at the start of the name has no equivalent sound or letter in Turkish.
Ayse Name History & Origins
The name entered Turkish through Arabic, along with Islam. As Turkic peoples converted to Islam from around the tenth century and afterward, under the Seljuks and later the Ottomans, Arabic personal names came into everyday use alongside Turkic ones. Arabic ʿĀʾisha was the name of ʿĀʾisha bint Abī Bakr, a wife of the Prophet Muhammad and one of the most important transmitters of hadith; naming children after figures of early Islamic history is a long-standing practice in Muslim societies, and the name spread widely in Arabic-, Persian-, and Turkish-speaking regions.
Turkish reshaped the name phonologically rather than borrowing it unchanged: the ʿayn was dropped, vowel length was lost, and the ending shifted to Ayşe. In that form it became a standard Turkish women's name, common in Turkey and in Turkish-speaking communities in Northern Cyprus, the Balkans, and the Turkish diaspora in Western Europe.
In Turkish folk usage, Ayşe works as a stock female name paired with Mehmet - the pair stands in for an ordinary Turkish couple, and "Ayşe" often appears in songs and stories as the sweetheart or wife of a soldier. Turkish also forms related names from the same base, such as Ayşen and Aysel.
How Popular is the Name Ayse?
Ayse 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 2015. Its best rank was #4,927 in 1958.
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 | #11,083 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 2024 | #8,494 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 2023 | #8,546 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 2022 | #8,098 | 13 | 0.0008% |
| 2021 | #8,092 | 13 | 0.0008% |
| 2020 | #7,272 | 15 | 0.0009% |
| 2019 | #9,836 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 2018 | #7,151 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 2017 | #8,871 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 2016 | #6,217 | 20 | 0.0011% |
| 2015 | #5,488 | 24 | 0.0013% |
| 2014 | #7,031 | 17 | 0.0010% |
| 2013 | #5,672 | 23 | 0.0013% |
| 2012 | #17,263 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2011 | #10,506 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 2010 | #6,948 | 18 | 0.0010% |
| 2009 | #11,592 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2008 | #8,177 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 2007 | #9,091 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 2006 | #8,302 | 14 | 0.0007% |
| 2005 | #13,210 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2004 | #7,883 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 2003 | #9,773 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 2002 | #7,095 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 2001 | #7,794 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 2000 | #6,524 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 1999 | #6,226 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 1998 | #6,420 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 1997 | #10,991 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1996 | #10,706 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1995 | #8,142 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1994 | #7,660 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1993 | #11,937 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1992 | #8,126 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1991 | #10,382 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1990 | #6,911 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 1989 | #9,781 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1988 | #5,634 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 1987 | #8,067 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1986 | #11,064 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1985 | #9,406 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1984 | #9,237 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1980 | #10,529 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1978 | #9,896 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1975 | #7,230 | 7 | 0.0005% |
| 1974 | #8,880 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1970 | #6,418 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1969 | #7,557 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1968 | #6,311 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1964 | #5,031 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1958 | #4,927 | 7 | 0.0003% |
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 Ayse 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 seeking freedom, opportunities to enjoy life: to make love, to go places and to do things. You are very adventurous and willing to take risk to achieve your objectives. New ways and new experiences can't satisfy your restless nature. One adventure leads you to another. You are honest and fair, because you know that this is the only way to receive justice and honesty from other people. But your personal growth is vital for you, and it is difficult to be tied down by rules and obligations. Your restless spirit might best controlled by choosing the field of work that meet your demand for action and adventure.
✦ Ayse's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Ayse's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.