NameCensus.

UK boy's name

Aryan

A predominantly masculine name of Sanskrit origin meaning "noble" or "honorable".

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.

Aryan is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Aryan popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #306, with 146 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2007, with 231 births.

This profile covers 4,195 England and Wales registrations across 29 recorded years from 1996 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, NRS Scotland and NISRA Northern Ireland, 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.

The latest count is about 63% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.

We estimate that about 4,313 living people in the UK are called Aryan. 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

  • Aryan ranked #306 for boys in England and Wales in 2024, with 146 registrations.
  • The name peaked in 2007, when 231 boys were registered as Aryan.
  • Aryan ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #387 in 2010.
  • About 4,313 living people in the UK are estimated to have Aryan as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.

Latest rank (E&W)

#306

2024

Births in 2024

146

Latest year

Peak year

2007

231 births

Estimated living

4,313

2026

Meaning

What does Aryan mean?

The name Aryan is derived from the Sanskrit word "arya," which means "noble" or "honorable." It originated in ancient India, where it was used to refer to the Indo-Iranian people who spoke the Aryan languages.

The earliest recorded use of the name Aryan can be found in the Vedas, the ancient Hindu scriptures that date back to around 1500-500 BCE. In these texts, the term "arya" was used to describe the people who followed the Vedic religion and culture.

In the Avestan language of ancient Persia, the equivalent term "airya" was used to refer to the Iranian people. This term can be found in the Avesta, the sacred texts of Zoroastrianism, which were composed around 600-400 BCE.

One of the earliest known individuals with the name Aryan was Aryan, a Persian king who ruled the Median Empire in the 7th century BCE. He is mentioned in the Behistun Inscription, a multi-lingual inscription carved on a rock face in modern-day Iran.

In ancient Greek sources, the term "Arianoi" was used to refer to the people living in the region of modern-day Afghanistan and Pakistan. This term was derived from the Aryan language spoken by these people.

Another notable historical figure with the name Aryan was Aryan, a Persian philosopher who lived in the 6th century CE. He is known for his work on logic and philosophy, and his writings had a significant influence on Islamic thought.

In the Mahabharata, one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India, there is a character named Aryan who is a king of the Kuru dynasty. This epic is believed to have been composed between the 8th and 4th centuries BCE.

Aryan was also the name of a Persian prince who lived in the 5th century BCE. He is mentioned in the ancient Greek historian Herodotus' work "The Histories."

During the medieval period, the name Aryan was used by various Persian and Indian rulers and nobles. One notable example is Aryan, a Persian prince who lived in the 11th century CE and was a member of the Ghaznavid dynasty.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

Popularity

Aryan over time

The chart below shows babies named Aryan registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1996 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 Aryan, the clearest high point is 2007. The latest England and Wales figure is 146 births in 2024, compared with 231 at the peak.

Babies born per year

Aryan
058116173231199620102024

Decades

Aryan by decade

Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Aryan 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 #292 785 5
2010s #253 1,981 10
2000s #328 1,401 10
1990s #1721 28 4

Geography

Where Aryan is most common

The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Aryan. 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.

Aryan ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #387 in 2010.

Scotland
6
Northern Ireland
3

Across the UK

Aryan in Scotland and Northern Ireland

Scotland (NRS)

#478 in 2024

22 years of NRS records, 143 total registered

Northern Ireland (NISRA)

#387 in 2010

1 years of NISRA records, 3 total registered

Related

Names similar to Aryan

FAQ

Aryan: questions and answers

How popular is the name Aryan in the UK right now?

In 2024, Aryan was ranked #306 for boys in England and Wales, with 146 births registered.

When was Aryan most popular?

The peak year on record was 2007, with 231 babies registered as Aryan in England and Wales.

What is the meaning and origin of Aryan?

A predominantly masculine name of Sanskrit origin meaning "noble" or "honorable".

How many people are called Aryan in the UK?

A total of 4,195 babies have been registered as Aryan across the 29 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 143 more in Scotland and 3 in Northern Ireland.

Where is Aryan most common?

In the latest published local rankings, Aryan ranks best in Northern Ireland, where it placed #387 in 2010. 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.