Given name & surname · also Egyptian
Aaron
“Exalted”·“mountain of strength”
Aaron’s biblical role is much clearer than the meaning of his name. As Moses’s brother, spokesman and the Israelites’ first high priest, he gave the name an enduring place in religious history even though its linguistic roots remain uncertain.
Original Hebrewאהרן
Meaning & origin
What it means
“Exalted” and “mountain of strength” are familiar interpretations, but no single meaning is secure. The mountain explanation is a folk etymology; it should not be treated as a proven translation.
Where it comes from
Aaron is familiar from Hebrew biblical tradition, but its original language may have been Egyptian. Its place in a Hebrew narrative does not by itself establish a Hebrew etymology.
How it developed
The traditional explanation links Aaron with a proposed Hebrew har-on, “mountain of strength.” That derivation is disputed, and a possible Egyptian background leaves the original formation unresolved.
The story
In Exodus, Aaron speaks on Moses’s behalf and becomes the first high priest of the Israelites. The naming tradition also includes the Hebrew form Aharon and the Yiddish familiar form Arke.
In the Bible
In the Bible, the name Aaron appears in Exodus 28:1, Joshua 21:4. It is mentioned 5 times in the New Testament.
- Exodus 28:1
- Joshua 21:4
From biblical name research
Aaron through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 618,857
- 614,462 boys · 4,395 girls
- Most popular year
- 1989
- 15,407 babies
- 2025
- 4,058
- #80 for boys · #6,546 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −28%
- Easing
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 4,041 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 80 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 28.3% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 15,308 in 1989. It also appeared in 17 birth records for girls in 2025. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (616). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 494,237 as a first name in 2020; 14,733 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Aaron’s family of names
In Finnish usage, Aaron has a nickname in Ari. Aaron shares an earlier linguistic root with Harun. In Swedish usage, Aaron has a related form in Aron.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Aaron has relatives in 38 languages. Lines run from its Hebrew roots to each of them.
44 related names in 38 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 43
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
- Arinickname · Finnish
- Aronvariant · Swedish, Polish
- Arinvariant
- Haroonvariant · English
- Arenvariant
- Aharonvariant
- Ahronvariant
- Aranvariant
Show 35 moreShow fewer
- Aarynvariant
- Aarinvariant
- Auronvariant
- Arnievariant
- Arronvariant · English
- Arunvariant · English
- Aerynvariant
- Ahrenvariant
- Aarenvariant · English
- Airenvariant
- Aarovariant · Finnish
- Aeronvariant · English
- Ayronvariant
- Arekvariant
- Arrivariant · German
- Airynvariant
- Ayrenvariant
- Arranvariant · English
- Aaranvariant · English
- Arendvariant
- Aarronvariant · English
- Aaronnvariant
- Arncontraction
- ايرنvariant · Malay
- Ahronsvariant · English
- Aaróvariant · Catalan
- Aharónvariant · Galician
- Aaronasvariant · Lithuanian
- Aronnevariant · English, Italian
- Arandvariant
- Ahranvariant
- Azronvariant
- Arkepet form
- Aroonivariant · Finnish
- Aaronivariant · Finnish
Spellings & scripts 2
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 38
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
- Harundoublet · Turkish, Tagalog
- Harounequivalent
- Eronrelated form
- Aaralynfeminine form · English
- Aronaequivalent
- HarunaHausa
- હારૂનequivalent
- हारूनequivalent
Show 30 moreShow fewer
- Аарѡнъequivalent
- Ааронъequivalent
- അഹറോൻequivalent
- आहारोनequivalent
- Aalutequivalent
- هارونequivalent
- Aaronson“son of” surname · English
- AarãoPortuguese
- HarûnKurdish
- Kharundoublet · French, English
- Aaróncognate · Spanish
- ÁrónIrish
- AäronDutch
- Agaronequivalent
- אהרוןequivalent
- Aronasequivalent
- Aalonaequivalent
- ہارونequivalent
- אהרןYiddish
- ԱհարոնArmenian
- ÁronHungarian, Faroese
- ʻĀʻālonaHawaiian
- ΑαρώνGreek
- হারূনBengali
- Ἀαρώνroot · Ancient Greek
- АронSerbian
- ĀronsLatvian
- アロンJapanese
- アーロンJapanese
- AronoEsperanto
See also 15
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Aaron
- Aaron SwartzAmerican computer programmer and internet-political activist (1986–2013)
- Aaron Burrvice president of the United States from 1801 to 1805, lived (1756–1836)
- Aaron RamseyWelsh association football player and manager (born 1990)
- Aaron KlugBritish chemist and biophysicist1926–2018
- Aaron EckhartAmerican actor (born 1968)
- Aaron CiechanoverIsraeli physician and biochemist, Nobel Laureateborn 1947
- Aaron CoplandAmerican composer, composition teacher, writer, and conductor (1900-1990)
- Aaron PaulAmerican actor (born 1979)
- Aaron LennonEnglish association football player (born 1987)
Characters named Aaron: Aaron Pierce (the television series 24).
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Aaron, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Daniel
“God is my judge”
>99% boys
Jason
“I heal”
>99% boys
Benjamin
“son of the right hand” · “son of the south”
>99% boys
Matthew
“gift of God” · “a gift from God”
>99% boys
Nathan
“he has given” · “God has given”
>99% boys
Samuel
“God has heard” · “asked of God”
>99% boys
Jesse
“gift” · “God exists; a gift from God; God sees all”
97% boys · 3% girls
Jacob
“heel grabber” · “supplanter”
>99% boys