UK boy's name
Aris
Masculine name of Greek origin meaning "excellent" or "the best".
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2024. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Aris is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Aris popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #346, with 126 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2024, with 126 births.
This profile covers 604 England and Wales registrations across 26 recorded years from 1997 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales and NRS Scotland, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.
Aris is at its recorded peak in the England and Wales series.
We estimate that about 612 living people in the UK are called Aris. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2025 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Aris ranked #346 for boys in England and Wales in 2024, with 126 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2024, when 126 boys were registered as Aris.
- • Aris ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #727 in 2024.
- • About 612 living people in the UK are estimated to have Aris as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#346
2024
Births in 2024
126
Latest year
Peak year
2024
126 births
Estimated living
612
2026
Meaning
What does Aris mean?
Aris is a name with roots dating back to ancient Greece. It is derived from the Greek word "aristos," which means "the best" or "excellent." The name was popular in ancient Greek culture, where excellence and virtue were highly valued.
In Greek mythology, there are several notable figures with the name Aris or variations of it. One example is Ariston, the son of the legendary king Agamemnon and Clytemnestra. Another is Aristaeus, a minor deity associated with agriculture, hunting, and beekeeping.
The name Aris gained wider recognition during the Hellenistic period, which began in the 4th century BCE. It was a popular name among philosophers, scholars, and artists of that era. One of the most famous individuals with this name was Aristarchus of Samos, a Greek astronomer who proposed the heliocentric theory, suggesting that the Earth revolves around the Sun.
In the Byzantine Empire, which lasted from the 4th to the 15th century CE, the name Aris was often used in royal and noble circles. Notable examples include Aris Philanthropenos, a prominent Byzantine nobleman and military leader who lived in the 11th century, and Aris Doukas Kamateros, a Byzantine aristocrat and courtier from the 12th century.
During the Renaissance period, the name Aris experienced a resurgence in popularity, particularly among humanist scholars and artists who were inspired by ancient Greek culture. One of the most notable figures from this time was Aris Tzetzes, a 12th-century Byzantine scholar and writer who produced commentaries on ancient Greek literature.
In more recent history, there have been several notable individuals with the name Aris. Aris Velouchiotis was a Greek communist revolutionary and leader of the Greek Resistance during World War II. Aris Konstantinidis was a renowned Greek architect and urban planner who made significant contributions to the modern development of Athens in the 20th century. Aris San, born in 1940, is a Greek-French singer and actor known for his contributions to the French pop music scene.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Aris over time
The chart below shows babies named Aris registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1997 to 2024. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Aris, the clearest high point is 2024. The latest England and Wales figure is 126 births in 2024, compared with 126 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Aris by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Aris was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.
| Decade | Average rank | Total births | Years covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | #583 | 351 | 5 |
| 2010s | #1454 | 198 | 10 |
| 2000s | #2682 | 51 | 10 |
| 1990s | #2337 | 4 | 1 |
Geography
Where Aris is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Aris. They are useful for spotting where the name is showing up in real numbers, while the rank beside each bar shows how strongly it performs inside that region.
Aris ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #727 in 2024.
Across the UK
Aris in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#727 in 2024
3 years of NRS records, 11 total registered
Related
Names similar to Aris
- Alfie 86,546
- Alexander 85,525
- Adam 71,855
- Archie 59,965
- Arthur 43,586
- Aaron 36,366
- Alex 32,729
- Andrew 20,169
- Arlo 19,061
- Aidan 16,776
- Albie 16,017
- Albert 15,809
FAQ
Aris: questions and answers
How popular is the name Aris in the UK right now?
In 2024, Aris was ranked #346 for boys in England and Wales, with 126 births registered.
When was Aris most popular?
The peak year on record was 2024, with 126 babies registered as Aris in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Aris?
Masculine name of Greek origin meaning "excellent" or "the best".
How many people are called Aris in the UK?
A total of 604 babies have been registered as Aris across the 26 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 11 more in Scotland.
Where is Aris most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Aris ranks best in Scotland, where it placed #727 in 2024. The regional bars on this page use birth counts, so they also reflect the size of each region.
Which records is this page based on?
The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.