US rank #718 Girls' name Peak 2009 37,293 births

Aileen — #718 US girls' name

37,293 babies named Aileen in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 2009. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.

1880s631890s3321900s8181910s28311920s46481930s21571940s16291950s19561960s23081970s17811980s23561990s32582000s58202010s53542020s1982
#718
of 17,661 girls in use

More common than 96% of names given to girls today.

2000s
Peak decade

16% of everyone ever named Aileen was born in this single decade.

2009
Single peak year

685 babies were named Aileen in 2009 — its busiest year on record.

What the Data Says About Aileen

The Social Security Administration has registered 37,293 babies named Aileen between 1880 and 2024, spanning 145 consecutive years of U.S. birth records. As a girl's name, Aileen currently holds the #718 rank among girls for 2024. The name reached its historical peak in 2009, when 685 babies received it in a single year.

Decade-level aggregation shows that Aileen performed strongest in the 2000s, accumulating 5,820 births during that ten-year window. Across the 15 decades of recorded activity, Aileen shows notable generational variation in parental adoption. Geographically, the name is most concentrated in California, which accounts for 8,011 births — the largest state-level total in the dataset — followed by New York and Texas. In total, SSA state-level files list Aileen in 45 of the 51 U.S. reporting jurisdictions.

No etymological entry is currently available for Aileen in our reference dataset. These figures derive from SSA's annual national and state-level name files, which include any name appearing at least five times in a given year or state-year; names below that threshold are suppressed for privacy and therefore excluded from the totals shown here. The 37,293 total represents a lower bound — actual usage may be higher in years or states where the count fell below the disclosure floor. This page is provided for informational and research purposes only and does not constitute personal, legal, or naming advice.

Aileen at a glance

Top 1,000 girls' name

Total births

37,293

Since 1880

145 years of records

Peak year

2009

685 births that year

Strongest decade: 2000s

Current rank

#718

Among girls

As of 2024

Active since

1880

Recorded for 145 years

Last year on file: 2024

Aileen popularity over time — girls

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 2024–1880

Top 1,000 girls' name
Peak year (2009)
685
Annual births at peak — across 145 years of records
-2000200400600800 202420061988197019521934191618981880 6

Aileen popularity over time — boys

5 total births recorded since 2011 (Aileen as boys' name)

Unisex variant — 5 births
5 2011 5

Aileen by decade

Total births in each ten-year window — peak vs trough at a glance

Peak: 2000s
Peak decade
2000s
5,820 births that decade — 16% of Aileen's all-time total
1880s631890s3321900s8181910s28311920s46481930s21571940s16291950s19561960s23081970s17811980s23561990s32582000s58202010s53542020s1982

Aileen by state

Where Aileen concentrates geographically — total births since 1880

Regionally concentrated
Top 8 states by recorded births for the name Aileen
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 California
8,011 21.5%
#2 New York
3,755 10.1%
#3 Texas
3,465 9.3%
#4 Illinois
1,733 4.6%
#5 Pennsylvania
1,209 3.2%
#6 New Jersey
1,119 3.0%
#7 Florida
1,077 2.9%
#8 Michigan
792 2.1%
California share of Aileen's total US births 21.5%
Even split

8,011 of 37,293 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 45 reporting states.

Aileen appears in 45 states. Explore state details →

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Aileen?
37,293 babies have been named Aileen since 1880. It currently ranks #718 among girls. The peak year was 2009 with 685 births.
When was Aileen most popular?
Aileen was most popular in the 2000s decade with 5,820 total births. The single peak year was 2009.
Where is Aileen most popular?
The top states for the name Aileen are California (8,011 births), New York (3,755 births), Texas (3,465 births).
How long has the name Aileen been used?
Aileen has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 145 years of data through 2024.
What names are similar to Aileen?
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Ailani, Ailyn, Ailany, Aila, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.

Keep exploring Aileen

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Data Sources

Data as of 2024. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).

Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications — National Data, 1880–2024 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames). National-level data includes all names with 5 or more occurrences in a given year.

State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names — State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip). Includes all names with 5 or more occurrences per state per year; rarer names are excluded for privacy.