Arden
Arden is given to both girls and boys: 261 girls and 225 boys were given it in 2025 (#975 among girls’ names and #1,005 among boys’, #1,194 among all names counting both); 16,085 Americans have been recorded with it since 1881 (Social Security Administration, published May 2026). Girls have outnumbered boys among babies named Arden every year since 2025.
An estimated 11,400 Americans named Arden and born in the U.S. are alive in 2026 (71% of everyone recorded); the median is 15 years old and half are between 7 and 32.
Girls and boys together; gaps are years SSA did not record (fewer than 5 births).
Births of Arden by year: SSA national baby-name file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
What does Arden mean?
Wiktionary, English section
Arden is “a male given name.” Its etymology gives the sense “high” (meaning).
Derived from the Brythonic ardu meaning “high”
Meaning: Wiktionary, English section, as of Sep 25, 2026 (CC BY‑SA 4.0).
How popular is Arden?
#1,005 among boys’ names, 2025
Arden rose from #1,692 in 2015 to #1,005 in 2025 among boys’ names; its share of boys born rose from 0.05 to 0.13 per 1,000.
486 babies in 2025, the peak
Arden peaked in 2025, when 486 babies were given it (225 boys, #1,005 among boys’ names). In 2024 it went to 244 boys.
Births by sex.
| Year | Girls | Girls’ rank | Boys | Boys’ rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 261 | #975 | 225 | #1,005 |
| 2024 | 241 | #1,041 | 244 | #942 |
| 2023 | 241 | #1,046 | 214 | #1,020 |
| 2022 | 241 | #1,056 | 155 | #1,255 |
| 2021 | 227 | #1,091 | 161 | #1,200 |
| 2020 | 236 | #1,055 | 168 | #1,153 |
| 2019 | 278 | #951 | 129 | #1,381 |
| 2018 | 274 | #964 | 124 | #1,408 |
| 2017 | 229 | #1,102 | 122 | #1,421 |
| 2016 | 275 | #976 | 105 | #1,564 |
Every recorded year (133)
| Year | Girls | Girls’ rank | Boys | Boys’ rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 300 | #918 | 92 | #1,692 |
| 2014 | 245 | #1,058 | 94 | #1,642 |
| 2013 | 239 | #1,039 | 69 | #1,988 |
| 2012 | 223 | #1,114 | 76 | #1,891 |
| 2011 | 178 | #1,320 | 76 | #1,848 |
| 2010 | 194 | #1,241 | 55 | #2,326 |
| 2009 | 167 | #1,409 | 70 | #1,990 |
| 2008 | 219 | #1,168 | 70 | #2,001 |
| 2007 | 167 | #1,419 | 79 | #1,830 |
| 2006 | 148 | #1,488 | 57 | #2,223 |
| 2005 | 147 | #1,445 | 57 | #2,126 |
| 2004 | 159 | #1,338 | 51 | #2,241 |
| 2003 | 158 | #1,307 | 57 | #2,005 |
| 2002 | 143 | #1,351 | 32 | #2,882 |
| 2001 | 122 | #1,522 | 30 | #2,989 |
| 2000 | 105 | #1,673 | 35 | #2,620 |
| 1999 | 97 | #1,689 | 28 | #2,940 |
| 1998 | 92 | #1,719 | 29 | #2,789 |
| 1997 | 79 | #1,863 | 23 | #3,159 |
| 1996 | 64 | #2,124 | 17 | #3,835 |
| 1995 | 75 | #1,859 | 26 | #2,763 |
| 1994 | 78 | #1,823 | 25 | #2,853 |
| 1993 | 63 | #2,124 | 18 | #3,500 |
| 1992 | 36 | #3,142 | 20 | #3,222 |
| 1991 | 25 | #4,063 | 21 | #2,988 |
| 1990 | 25 | #4,005 | 14 | #3,975 |
| 1989 | 27 | #3,673 | 19 | #3,092 |
| 1988 | 16 | #5,072 | 28 | #2,195 |
| 1987 | 23 | #3,750 | 22 | #2,466 |
| 1986 | 24 | #3,555 | 15 | #3,138 |
| 1985 | 20 | #3,988 | 18 | #2,716 |
| 1984 | 14 | #4,978 | 15 | #2,965 |
| 1983 | 14 | #4,898 | 20 | #2,409 |
| 1982 | 11 | #5,940 | 12 | #3,497 |
| 1981 | 7 | #8,181 | 11 | #3,616 |
| 1980 | 10 | #6,345 | 16 | #2,837 |
| 1979 | 12 | #5,444 | 17 | #2,673 |
| 1978 | 11 | #5,588 | 17 | #2,573 |
| 1977 | under 5 | 19 | #2,368 | |
| 1976 | 7 | #7,339 | 19 | #2,337 |
| 1975 | 6 | #8,045 | 25 | #1,886 |
| 1974 | 15 | #4,047 | 25 | #1,835 |
| 1973 | 6 | #7,491 | 21 | #1,985 |
| 1972 | 11 | #4,804 | 21 | #1,974 |
| 1971 | 14 | #4,133 | 25 | #1,784 |
| 1970 | 12 | #4,508 | 35 | #1,417 |
| 1969 | 17 | #3,325 | 34 | #1,377 |
| 1968 | 16 | #3,322 | 39 | #1,217 |
| 1967 | 12 | #3,856 | 25 | #1,540 |
| 1966 | 11 | #3,971 | 31 | #1,373 |
| 1965 | 16 | #3,154 | 29 | #1,429 |
| 1964 | 19 | #2,916 | 40 | #1,218 |
| 1963 | 26 | #2,369 | 45 | #1,151 |
| 1962 | 18 | #2,926 | 45 | #1,146 |
| 1961 | 26 | #2,363 | 57 | #1,034 |
| 1960 | 25 | #2,371 | 57 | #1,016 |
| 1959 | 25 | #2,291 | 68 | #926 |
| 1958 | 22 | #2,452 | 69 | #906 |
| 1957 | 26 | #2,171 | 65 | #935 |
| 1956 | 24 | #2,251 | 64 | #933 |
| 1955 | 24 | #2,224 | 61 | #956 |
| 1954 | 22 | #2,300 | 70 | #875 |
| 1953 | 30 | #1,834 | 82 | #786 |
| 1952 | 21 | #2,268 | 66 | #862 |
| 1951 | 22 | #2,122 | 63 | #882 |
| 1950 | 20 | #2,187 | 80 | #766 |
| 1949 | 23 | #2,013 | 74 | #797 |
| 1948 | 22 | #2,072 | 86 | #721 |
| 1947 | 25 | #1,947 | 112 | #651 |
| 1946 | 31 | #1,585 | 76 | #760 |
| 1945 | 15 | #2,238 | 92 | #629 |
| 1944 | 23 | #1,742 | 91 | #651 |
| 1943 | 18 | #2,082 | 120 | #579 |
| 1942 | 15 | #2,313 | 111 | #591 |
| 1941 | 25 | #1,570 | 115 | #559 |
| 1940 | 27 | #1,478 | 104 | #581 |
| 1939 | 32 | #1,309 | 127 | #501 |
| 1938 | 17 | #1,949 | 141 | #487 |
| 1937 | 40 | #1,133 | 118 | #532 |
| 1936 | 35 | #1,206 | 129 | #499 |
| 1935 | 38 | #1,135 | 118 | #531 |
| 1934 | 42 | #1,080 | 146 | #466 |
| 1933 | 36 | #1,180 | 114 | #533 |
| 1932 | 48 | #1,016 | 114 | #550 |
| 1931 | 56 | #926 | 122 | #523 |
| 1930 | 90 | #738 | 137 | #508 |
| 1929 | 63 | #903 | 98 | #610 |
| 1928 | 39 | #1,223 | 114 | #579 |
| 1927 | 9 | #3,293 | 129 | #544 |
| 1926 | under 5 | 100 | #627 | |
| 1925 | under 5 | 110 | #600 | |
| 1924 | under 5 | 139 | #535 | |
| 1923 | under 5 | 122 | #564 | |
| 1922 | under 5 | 124 | #571 | |
| 1921 | under 5 | 111 | #600 | |
| 1920 | under 5 | 112 | #590 | |
| 1919 | 5 | #4,860 | 86 | #669 |
| 1918 | under 5 | 114 | #568 | |
| 1917 | under 5 | 116 | #541 | |
| 1916 | under 5 | 81 | #650 | |
| 1915 | 6 | #3,815 | 93 | #589 |
| 1914 | 5 | #3,646 | 58 | #667 |
| 1913 | under 5 | 49 | #637 | |
| 1912 | under 5 | 48 | #584 | |
| 1911 | under 5 | 19 | #733 | |
| 1910 | under 5 | 17 | #730 | |
| 1909 | under 5 | 8 | #1,084 | |
| 1907 | under 5 | 7 | #1,098 | |
| 1906 | under 5 | 9 | #856 | |
| 1905 | under 5 | 11 | #745 | |
| 1904 | under 5 | 7 | #970 | |
| 1903 | under 5 | 12 | #658 | |
| 1902 | under 5 | 7 | #934 | |
| 1901 | under 5 | 5 | #1,064 | |
| 1899 | under 5 | 11 | #618 | |
| 1898 | under 5 | 8 | #806 | |
| 1897 | under 5 | 5 | #1,069 | |
| 1895 | under 5 | 5 | #1,086 | |
| 1892 | under 5 | 6 | #961 | |
| 1890 | under 5 | 6 | #890 | |
| 1887 | under 5 | 5 | #935 | |
| 1886 | under 5 | 5 | #973 | |
| 1881 | under 5 | 5 | #872 |
Ranks: girls’ names and boys’ names ranked separately in each year’s SSA file; “under 5” is a year SSA did not list the name for that sex.
Is Arden a boy’s or a girl’s name?
Of the 16,085 Americans recorded as Arden, 47% are girls and 53% boys.
Years with fewer than 20 babies given the name are left blank.
Girls and boys named Arden: the SSA national file counts each sex separately.
How many people are named Arden, and how old are they?
11,400 alive in 2026, estimated
That is 71% of the 16,085 Americans ever recorded as Arden. The median Arden alive today is 15 years old; half are between 7 and 32.
The 2020 Census counted 9,804 people named Arden (5,562 women and girls, 4,242 men and boys). SSA’s births carried forward to Census day, April 1, 2020, predict 9,529 born in the U.S. The Census count is 3% above that prediction.
Alive today, by age
Alive today, by generation
| Generation | Born | Alive |
|---|---|---|
| Silent Generation | 1928-1945 | 542 |
| Baby Boomers | 1946-1964 | 1,170 |
| Generation X | 1965-1980 | 511 |
| Millennials | 1981-1996 | 796 |
| Generation Z | 1997-2012 | 3,190 |
| Generation Alpha | 2013-2025 | 5,160 |
An estimate, not a count. SSA’s files count people born in the United States who received a Social Security number, so anyone born abroad is not in them; before 1937 most people got a number as adults, and their survival is counted from that age.
Living estimate: SSA births carried forward with the survival rates in SSA’s cohort life tables (2024 Trustees Report) for each birth year and sex. How the estimate is made. Count: Census Bureau, first names in the 2020 Census (released April 14, 2026; names reported 100 or more times, with the Bureau’s disclosure-avoidance adjustment).
Where are babies named Arden born?
The states with the most babies named Arden are California, Texas and Michigan, with 34% of its births recorded by state in 2025.
| State | Births 2025 | Rank, boys | vs. national |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | 64 | #846 | 0.7× |
| Texas | 40 | #1,100 | 0.5× |
| Michigan | 25 | #518 | 0.8× |
| North Carolina | 25 | #680 | 0.6× |
| Florida | 22 | #1,012 | 0.6× |
| Georgia | 22 | #922 | 0.6× |
| New York | 17 | #1,425 | 0.6× |
| Washington | 17 | #691 | 0.6× |
| Pennsylvania | 16 | #853 | 0.9× |
| Minnesota | 15 | #648 | 1.5× |
Where Arden is more common than its national share predicts
Relative to its national share, Arden is most over-represented in Minnesota: since 1910 it was given 1.5 times as often there as its national share each year would predict.
States: SSA state file, 1910-2025, published May 8, 2026; births count girls and boys together, and the rank is among boys’ names in the state in 2025. The file leaves out any state and year with fewer than 5 babies of the name, so small states are undercounted; each ratio compares the state’s births of Arden with the births its national share predicts year by year, for states with at least 100 births of the name.
Names spelled alike
Of these 5 names spelled alike, given to 16,472 babies since 1880, Arden is the most given (98% of them). In 2025 it was given to 486 of their 504 babies (96%), again the most given.
Spelled alike: names in the SSA national file with the same pattern of letters and sounds and at most two letters apart, and Wiktionary’s listed forms; births since 1880 and in 2025, and each name’s peak year, from the SSA national file, published May 8, 2026. Some are separate names, not spellings of one.
Names that rose and fell in the same decades as Arden
Names whose births rose and fell across the same decades, measured on each decade’s share of births.
| Name | Recorded | 1880-2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Henri | 5,987 |
Similar histories: each decade’s share of births, from the SSA national file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
More about Arden and names like it
- Compare Arden and ArdianBirths, ranks, peak and the living estimate side by side.
- The most given names of the 2020sArden peaked in 2025.
- California’s most given namesThe state where SSA recorded the most babies named Arden since 1910.
- The top names of 2025The year the most babies were named Arden.
- The names of Generation AlphaMost people named Arden alive today were born 2013-2025.
- Names starting with AMost given first.