Adin

Aedin

Aidan was originally a pet form of the Irish name Aodh (pronounced 'ee'), the name of the old Celtic god of the sun and fire. The name was borne by numerous early Irish saints, one of whom was noted for his kindness and generosity. 
 
Aidan is an appealing Irish saint's name meaning fire that zoomed up the popularity lists, jumping four hundred places in a decade to a peak of 39 in 2013 before slumping down. Though it has been overtaken by variant spelling Aiden, the original Aidan is worth considering before selecting one of its offshoots: Caden, Brayden, et al.
 
Aidan was first introduced into the mainstream American consciousness by actor Aidan Quinn, and was given a definite bounce by the appealing Aidan on Sex and the City. Aidan has many variations, among them, Aiden, Aden, Adan, Aedan, and Ayden.

Aidan

Aiden in all its spelling variations is the Anglicized version of the Irish Aodhán, which was originally a pet form of the Irish name Aodh (pronounced 'ee'), who was the old Celtic god of the sun and fire. St. Aidan was a famous seventh century Irish saint, noted for his kindness and generosity and for spreading Christianity.
 
Aiden has been a spectacular name success story—especially if you add all its various spellings together. Counted together, Aiden in all its versions is still a Top 10 boys' name.
 
The Aiden spelling has become the predominant version of the name in the US, followed by Ayden -- and then, in order of popularity, Aidan, Adan, Aden, Aydin, Aydan, Eiden, Aidyn, Eydan, Eyden, Adin, Aedan, and Aiyden. And then there's a pack of popular rhyming offshoots such as Brayden and Kaden.
 
Irish actor Aidan Quinn introduced the name to the US. The Aiden spelling was used by actress Tracey Gold and Rod Stewart for their sons.

Aiden

Aidynn

Aidan in all its many splendored varieties, particularly Aiden,  had a spectacular rise up the list, and the phonetic Ayden came along for the ride. It is also used in Turkey.

Ayden

Aedyn

Aidlynn

One of the trendiest of the new two-syllable <a href="https://nameberry.com/boys-names">boys’ names</a> that have swept the country in the past few years, including the rhyming Aidan, Caden, Kaden, and Jaden. It's been falling on the US Top 1000 lately but it is still among the most popular contemporary <a href="https://nameberry.com/baby-names/502/english-names-for-boys">English names for boys</a>..

Braden

One of several trendy boys' names now being adopted for girls with feminized spellings. 

Braeden

Braedyn

Another of the many -aiden names. Several spellings have charted in the US Top 1000 in recent years, but now most of the -aidens are fading. Braiden is no exception, dropping down the charts each year since its peak at Number 468 in 2010.

Braiden

Braidyn

Brayden is the top spelling of one of the epidemically popular rhyming cousins of Aiden, hitting the Top 100 in 2005.. It has dipped a bit recently, but is still widely used. Other popular spellings include Braden, Braeden, Braydon, Braiden, Braedon and Bradyn. Take your pick.
 Actress Melissa Joan Hart named her son Braydon.

Brayden

One in the currently modish aden family of <a href="https://nameberry.com/boys-names">boys' names</a> beginning to be used for girls as well as boys. The name Brayden was given to 15 baby girls in the US last year....and over 5000 baby boys, so it can hardly be considered gender neutral, but rather a boys' name occasionally used for girls.

Caden is a key member of the rhyming contingent that includes Aiden, Jayden, Kayden, Brayden et al. It may derive from the Celtic Cadan or Irish Cathán, both from the same root meaning "battle".

While Caden in this spelling achieves the golden mean of being familiar but not overly popular, ranking consistently in the middle of the Top 1000, there are so many similar names in widespread use that you're sure to hear it more than you might think.

Considering all the spellings together, Caden (and Kayden and Kaiden) ranks Number 14 in the US, according to our Playground Analysis.

Caden

Caedmon

Cayden is one of the many spellings of this popular name, made all the more popular when they're counted together. According to our annual Playground Analysis, Cayden and brothers rank a cumulative Number 14 among boys' names, given last year to more than 11,000 baby boys in the US.

Kayden is the most popular variation of the name, ranking right around Number 100. After Kayden, the name's variations, in order of current popularity, are Kaiden, Caden, Kaden, Cayden, Caiden, Kaidyn, Kaeden, Kadyn

Kevin Costner chose Cayden for his son..

Cayden

Waspy, but preferable to Nanny Diaries satiric name Grayer. Grayton Greydon, Greyton. 

Graydon

Grayden

Greydan

Greyden

This play on Hayden is likely influenced by the popularity of the Aiden names. It has appeared in the US Top 1000 for eight of the past twelve years.

Haiden

Hayden – a formerly obscure name that's risen to huge popularity – has dipped in this year's ratings. Though Hayden is among the most distinctive of the bunch, it gets lost in the crowd of Jaidens, Bradens, Aidans, and endless variations. Associated with Hayden Christensen, of Star Wars fame. 
 Musical parents might prefer to give it a different twist as Haydn (pronounced HIGH-den), as in the composer.

Hayden

A newly successful name for girls, which, like Brayden and Caden, used to be strictly for the boys. Young Heroes and now Nashville star Hayden Panettiere planted it in the girls' camp.

While Jadon is the authentic biblical name, Jaden is by far the more popular spelling, first noticed when Will and Jada Pinkett Smith used it for their now grown (and famous) son. It has since swept the country for both sexes, with a wide variety of spellings and rhyming cousins.

Jaden

From obscure male biblical boy's name to unisex favorite, Jadon/Jaden, in all its variations, has had a meteoric rise in popularity, building on Jade and Jada, plus the trendy en ending. 

For girls, the most popular form of a very popular name.  See also Jaidyn, Jaiden, and Jaden.

Jadyn

This spelling is now more popular than the original, though it's not quite as popular as Jayden or Jaden. 

Jaiden

Reminiscent of 70’s favorite Jason, and sharing sounds with the perpetually popular James, Jayden is one of the more enduring members of the -ayden trend. 
Until the 90’s, Jayden was a mostly obscure choice, but, having entered the Top 1000 in 1994, it skyrocketed during the 2000’s. Influenced by the baby name choices of celebrities Britney Spears, and Will and Jada Pinkett Smith, it peaked at #4 in 2011. 
There are several possible origins of Jayden, and one perhaps surprising option is as a modern twist on the Biblical and Ancient Hebrew name, Jadon . Worn by a character in the Old Testament, it means “thankful” or “he will judge” and lends Jayden a more established root. 
Alternatively, it is perceived as a modern invention, taking the popular den suffix and mixing it with the much loved “Jay” sound. 
While this does mean it lacks one definitive meaning, it also leaves space for some creativity. 
“Jay” can refer to the jaybird, giving the name a possible nature connection. It can also be linked to Jason, meaning “to heal”, to Jacob, meaning “supplanter”, or even to the Sanskrit Jaya, meaning “victory.” 
The suffix “den” meanwhile, is used to signify a diminutive in Old Irish, but in English “den” can mean “valley.” 
Jayden could then be a modern way to honor a Jacob or a James, with the meaning “little supplanter.” It could also mean “healing valley” or “little healer”; “little jaybird”, “little victory”, or “valley of the jaybird”. 
As Jayden went from unknown to Top 10 material in just over a decade, it was joined by a plethora of trendy cousins, from the more established Aiden, to Cayden, Zayden and beyond. A multitude of spellings also got thrown into the mix including Jaiden, Jaidyn, Jaeden, and Jaden. 
The late 2000’s and early 2010’s really were Jayden’s time to shine. In the US, it made it into the Top 200 names for gilrs, while across the pond, it gained attention in the UK, Belgium, The Netherlands, and New Zealand. 
Recent years have seen Jayden fall steadily back down the charts – which could suggest it has had its moment for now. Nevertheless, Jayden is still used more than 6000 times every year and still climbing the French charts. 
Do you like Jayden but feel concerned about its popularity or longevity? You could try Javan, Jago, Auden, Ajay, or Linden instead as possible alternatives.

Jayden

This once obscure name was propelled to fame by Britney Spears, and by Will and Jada Pinkett Smith in the 2000's. It skyrocketed into the US Top 10 for boys, but it also saw significant use for girls. 
Similar in sound to the likes of Jamie, Peyton, Paisley, Jade, and Jane - and, given the popularity of the -ayden names in general - it caught on, albeit briefly. 
Rising to the Top 200 in 2010, Jayden has since fallen out of favor again, with only 100 or so girls being given it every year. 
In terms of origin, Jayden is potentially a modern invention, inspired by Aiden, Jason, and Hayden. It could be be a spin on the Biblical Jadon, meaning "thankful", or maybe even just a nod to a Jade, Jude, Jayne or Jason if your life.<.br>
Like the idea of Jayden but don't want your baby to be lost in the sea of Jaydens, Jaedens, Jaidens and Jaidins? Enjoy the sounds but don't want something gone so recently out of style? You could try Jada, Janie, Arden, Cadence or Jazmin as inspiration.

Kade is a prime example of the new trend for substituting K's at the beginning of traditionally C-starting names. 

Kade

A popular member of popular family: Kadin, Kaeden, Kaiden, and Kayden -- along with Caden, Caiden, and Cayden, as well as Cade and Kade.

Kaden and brothers are among those names that, because they include so many variations, are much more popular than they seem. While Kaden ranks in the Top 300 boys' names in the US, the most popular spelling Kayden ranks near Number 100. And counted all together, they are among the Top 15 boy names.

Kaden

This version of Kaden is also a popular choice and one of the many <a href="https://nameberry.com/search/boys-names/k">boys' names starting with k</a> that can also start with a C, as in Caiden, Cayden et al.. Kaiden Alenko is a character in the video game Mass Effect.

Kaiden

This member of the aden/ayden extended family is a popular choice not only in the US but across the pond in England, Wales and Scotland as well. Angie Everhart has a son named Kayden Bobby.

Although Kayden in this spelling has been hovering around the Top 100 in the US for several years, with all spellings considered it's much more popular than that. According to our Playground Analysis for 2022, Kayden in all forms ranks among the Top 15 boy names.

What does that mean? No matter how you spell it, if you yell Kayden in the playground, it's likely that more than one little boy will come running.

The -ayden Clan