Aaron

Hebrew

"high mountain; exalted, enlightened"

Aaron Origin and Meaning

The name Aaron is a boy's name of Hebrew origin meaning "high mountain; exalted, enlightened".

Aaron is a name of subtle contrasts: an unusual spelling that is easily recognizable; a solid Biblical choice that doesn’t feel exclusively tied to religion; a well-established name for boys but sometimes confused with the girls’ name, Erin; used internationally but with notably different pronunciations; classic like Andrew but not out of place with recent favorites like Weston or Jayden.

All things considered, Aaron’s enduring popularity feels at once surprising and obvious. And endure it does. For the last 50 years, it has been a staple in the US Top 100, and it remains a solid favorite in a number of European countries, from France to Switzerland.

The origins of the name are debated, with some saying from Ancient Egypt, and has the meaning “warrior lion”, while others believe it is derived from Hebrew, with meanings such as “high mountain” or “exalted”.

In the Old Testament, Aaron is a powerful figure, acting as a spokesman for his brother, Moses. He produced miracles and plagues to intimidate the pharaoh for enslaving the Israelites, and he was appointed by God as the first high priest.

Other notable namesakes include the American politician, Aaron Burr, the composer, Aaron Copeland, and actors Aaron Ekhart, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, and Aaron Paul. The name has literary credentials too, with Shakespeare, John Steinbeck, and George Eliot using it in their works.

Given to more than 4500 babies in the US every year, the soft sound of Aaron’s double vowels continues to hold an appealing gentleness for parents today.

But why does Aaron have that unusual beginning and why is it pronounced differently across the world?

Well, the original Hebrew name is Aharon, pronounced with 3 syllables, however, this sound had no equivalent in Greek. When Jewish scriptures were translated then, it was recorded as “Aaron”. While the Romans and Greeks might still have said “a-ha-ron”, it was later Anglicized in the 17th century to “air-un”.

In England however, it is often said as “a-run”, where “a” is like the first sound of “apple”. This is likely down to people confusing it with the English name “Aron”, or because they were influenced by the Scottish Isle of Arran and the Irish Aran Islands.

More broadly, pronunciation varies when Aaron is translated into the many languages used around the world. In German, it is A-rawn, while in Finnish, it is AH-rone or Aaro. In Arabic, Urdu and Turkish, it becomes Harun or Haroon and across Africa, it might be Haruna or Haron.

Love Aaron but slightly put off by its widespread popularity? You could try Alden, Ansel, Taran, Canaan, Ariel or Abram.

Aaron Rank in US Top 1000

# 68 in the US

Aaron Rank in Nameberry Top 1000

# 118 on Nameberry

Aaron Popularity

• 68 US 2023
• 118 Nameberry 2024
• 114 Canada 2023
• 78 Future 2028
• 146 England 2023
• 49 Scotland 2023
• 51 Ireland 2023
• 98 Australia 2018
• 79 New Zealand 2015
• 22 France 2023
• 35 Germany 2023
• 67 Netherlands 2015
• 54 Spain 2023
• 57 Mexico 2021
• 77 Sweden 2016
• 35 Finland 2023
• 47 Belgium 2023
• 14 Switzerland 2023
• 59 Chile 2021

20 Names Similar to Aaron

These 20 names were selected by our users that were looking for other names like Aaron.

• Adam
• Daniel
• Nathan
• David
• Andrew
• Joshua
• Alex
• Jacob
• Ethan
• Matthew
• Nicholas
• Dylan
• Christopher
• Isaac
• Benjamin
• Zachary
• Michael
• Ian
• Robert
• Austin

Famous People Named Aaron

• Aaron Simon Gross director and actor
• Aaron brother of Moses, Biblical figure
• Aaron John Boone American baseball player
• Aaron Burr third US Vice President
• Aaron Copland American composer
• Aaron Mitchell Dismuke American voice actor
• Aaron Edward Eckhart American actor
• Aaron Roderick Gillespie American drummer/vocalist of band UnderOath
• Aaron Michael Hernandez American football player
• Aaron Jermaine Ross American football player
• Aaron James Crow American baseball player
• Aaron Helmer Sele American baseball player
• Aaron Klug English chemist and astrophysicist
• Aaron Lewis American singer of band Staind
• Aaron Michael Miller American ice hockey player
• Aaron Montgomery Ward American businessman
• Aaron Neville American R&B singer
• Aaron Parchem American figure skater
• Aaron Paul (Sturtevant) American actor
• Aaron Anderman Poreda American baseball player
• Aaron Charles Rodgers American football player
• Aaron Solowoniuk drummer of American band Billy Talent
• Aaron Spelling American film and television producer
• Aaron Benjamin Sorkin American screenwriter, producer and playwright
• Aaron Taylor Johnson (born Aaron Perry Johnson), English actor
• Aaron Kyle Tveit American actor
• Aaron Abeyta aka El Hefe guitarist of American band NOFX
• Aaron Ashmore Canadian actor; twin brother Shawn Ashmore
• Aaron Michael Metchik American actor
• Aaron Temkin Beck American psychiatrist and professor
• Aaron Kwok (Fu shing), Hong Kong singer, actor and dancer
• Aaron Kendrik De Niro son of actor Robert De Niro
• Liam Aaron McDermott son of actor Dean McDermott
• Aaron Chartrand Canadian actor
• Aaron Jay Hanley son of Michelle Heaton & Hugh Hanley
• Aaron Springer American writer, director, animator, and storyboard artist ("SpongeBob SquarePants")
• Aarón Díaz Spencer Mexican actor
• Aaron James Ramsey Welsh football player
• Aaron James Judge American baseball player
• Aaron Staton American actor
• Aaron Lennon English professional footballer
• Aaron Dell Canadian hockey player

Aaron in Pop Culture

• Aaron Rivera main character in novel "The One Apart" by author Justine Avery
• Aaron Littleton character on TV's 'Lost'
• Aaron main character in video game Lunar Knights
• Aaron "Aron" Trask character in John Steinbeck's East of Eden
• Aaron Hotchner character on TV's "Criminal Minds"
• Aaron Dingle character on TV’s “Emmerdale”
• Aaron Whitmore character on TV's "The Vampire Diaries"
• Aaron Purnell character in movie "The Last Ride"
• Aaron Green character in movie "Get Him to the Greek"
• Aaron Warner Anderson character in Tahereh Mafi's best selling book series called "Shatter Me."
• Aaron Stampler character in movie "Primal Fear"
• Aaron Matthews character in "Sims" series
• Aaron character in Key and Peele skit "Substitute Teacher" (prn. Ay Ay Ron)
• Aaron Stowe character in The Unwanteds series by Lisa McMann
• Aaron Lycan character in Aphmau's YouTube series
• Aaron Davis also known as Prowler, character in Marvel Universe
• Aaron Michael Minyard character in the all for the game series.
• Aaron Stewart character in the Magisterium series
• Aaron a vampire in the French online visual novel Moonlight Lovers
• Aaron main character in Rankin/Bass's "The Little Drummer Boy"