NameCensus.

UK boy's name

Cayden

Of Celtic origin, a diminutive and elaboration of "Cai".

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.

Cayden is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Cayden popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #674, with 55 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2011, with 206 births.

This profile covers 2,059 England and Wales registrations across 25 recorded years from 2000 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 27% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.

We estimate that about 2,585 living people in the UK are called Cayden. 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

  • Cayden ranked #674 for boys in England and Wales in 2024, with 55 registrations.
  • The name peaked in 2011, when 206 boys were registered as Cayden.
  • Cayden ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #278 in 2024.
  • About 2,585 living people in the UK are estimated to have Cayden as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.

Latest rank (E&W)

#674

2024

Births in 2024

55

Latest year

Peak year

2011

206 births

Estimated living

2,585

2026

Meaning

What does Cayden mean?

The name Cayden is a relatively modern invention, with its origins tracing back to the late 20th century. It is believed to have emerged as a variant spelling of the traditional English name Caden, which itself is a form of the Welsh name Cadyn. The Welsh name Cadyn is derived from the Celtic word "cad," meaning "battle" or "war."

While the name Cayden does not have a long historical lineage, it gained popularity in the United States and other English-speaking countries in the 1990s and early 2000s. The spelling variation with a "y" instead of an "a" may have been introduced to add a more distinctive or modern flair to the name.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Cayden can be found in the 1990 U.S. Census, where a small number of individuals were listed with this name. However, it was not until the late 1990s and early 2000s that the name began to gain traction in popularity.

Throughout its relatively short history, there are a few notable individuals who have carried the name Cayden. One example is Cayden Boyd, an American actor born in 1995, known for his roles in films such as "The Newcomers" and "The Descendants." Another is Cayden Primeau, a Canadian ice hockey goaltender born in 1999, who currently plays for the Montreal Canadiens organization.

While the name Cayden may not have a rich historical legacy, it has become a popular choice for parents seeking a unique and modern-sounding name for their children. Its rise in popularity reflects the broader trend of creating new names or variations of existing ones to stand out in an increasingly diverse and multicultural society.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

Popularity

Cayden over time

The chart below shows babies named Cayden registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 2000 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 Cayden, the clearest high point is 2011. The latest England and Wales figure is 55 births in 2024, compared with 206 at the peak.

Babies born per year

Cayden
052103155206200020122024

Decades

Cayden by decade

Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Cayden 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 #708 243 5
2010s #420 1,140 10
2000s #1126 676 10

Geography

Where Cayden is most common

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

Cayden ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #278 in 2024.

Scotland
14
Northern Ireland
4

Across the UK

Cayden in Scotland and Northern Ireland

Scotland (NRS)

#278 in 2024

21 years of NRS records, 382 total registered

Northern Ireland (NISRA)

#339 in 2024

17 years of NISRA records, 160 total registered

Notable bearers

Famous people named Cayden

  • Cayden Bennett

    association football player

    Kittitian association football player

    2006-

Related

Names similar to Cayden

FAQ

Cayden: questions and answers

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

In 2024, Cayden was ranked #674 for boys in England and Wales, with 55 births registered.

When was Cayden most popular?

The peak year on record was 2011, with 206 babies registered as Cayden in England and Wales.

What is the meaning and origin of Cayden?

Of Celtic origin, a diminutive and elaboration of "Cai".

How many people are called Cayden in the UK?

A total of 2,059 babies have been registered as Cayden across the 25 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 382 more in Scotland and 160 in Northern Ireland.

Where is Cayden most common?

In the latest published local rankings, Cayden ranks best in Scotland, where it placed #278 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.