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Aileen as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Aileen

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The baby name Aileen is a Female name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced AY-leen (ˈeɪliːn),EYE-leen (aɪˈliːn).

Aileen is Irish, Scottish in Origin.

Gender: Female
Syllables: 2.0
Origin: Irish, Scottish
Pronunciation: AY-leen (ˈeɪliːn),EYE-leen (aɪˈliːn)

What is the meaning of the name Aileen ?

The baby name Aileen is a Female name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced AY-leen (ˈeɪliːn),EYE-leen (aɪˈliːn).

Aileen is Irish, Scottish in Origin.

Aileen is an Anglicized Gaelic feminine name with two intertwined roots. In Ireland it reflects Eibhlín, the Irish form of Norman French Aveline, derived from the Germanic Ava element - often interpreted as "desired" or sometimes linked to "bird." In Scotland it often represents Eilidh, the Gaelic equivalent of Helen, giving the meaning "bright, shining light" from Greek helene/hele ("torch, sunbeam"). Both streams converged in English as Aileen/Eileen in the modern era.

The name appears in Irish and Scottish records by the 18th–19th centuries and spread across the English-speaking world during the late Victorian and early 20th-century vogue for Celtic names, seeing steady if modest use since. Established variants and cognates include Eileen, Eibhlín, Eilidh, Aveline, Evelyn, and Helen/Elaine; modern spellings such as Ayleen and Ilene also occur. Aileen thus carries dual resonances: either a radiant light or a cherished, desired one - both warmly appealing interpretations.

Aileen has the following similar or variant Names

Famous people with the name Aileen

Aileen Quinn Actor · Born 1971 · United States Aileen Quinn is best known for playing Annie in the 1982 film Annie. She is an American actress, singer, and dancer, and her performance in Annie earned her two Golden Globe nominations.

Aileen – Popularity by country

Based on birth registration data from national statistics agencies.

Country Gender Year Rank Born of
Ireland Girls 2025 #1 — 874
KR 0 #8 1 201
BN 0 #31 2 2,297
MV Girls 0 #35 1 2,021
ID 0 #39 1 2,238
PH 0 #39 58 5,607
PR 0 #50 6 1,497
PH Girls 0 #62 529 13,098
LU 0 #66 1 2,830
JP 0 #76 2 4,057
CN 0 #79 8 3,857
QA 0 #84 17 7,011
BN Girls 0 #87 20 5,459
TW 0 #96 8 4,523
ID Girls 0 #100 3 3,319
HU 0 #115 1 1,675
KW 0 #115 7 5,216
Norway Girls 2019 #116 5 456
PA 0 #118 13 3,797
CY Girls 0 #121 5 3,755
OM 0 #121 1 6,215
PR Girls 0 #123 40 3,171
Switzerland Girls 2024 #130 6 1,786
GR 0 #135 1 3,911
MT Girls 0 #148 6 3,773
AE 0 #157 21 10,220
CR 0 #165 1 5,526
Sweden Girls 2022 #177 3 1,568
HR 0 #181 1 2,081
UY 0 #181 2 2,477
SG 0 #184 86 11,010
LU Girls 0 #190 1 4,850
QA Girls 0 #198 120 15,378
DK 0 #206 1 5,198
PL 0 #212 1 2,600
PS 0 #220 7 5,692
TW Girls 0 #223 54 8,139
MO Girls 0 #225 27 7,056
CN Girls 0 #228 128 8,829
BG Girls 0 #231 1 3,559
MO Boys 0 #234 1 5,842
JP Girls 0 #236 10 6,592
NA Girls 0 #236 2 7,146
KW Girls 0 #238 309 19,177
SG Girls 0 #243 438 18,916
GR Girls 0 #247 3 6,293
EC Girls 0 #258 1 3,650
SA 0 #268 28 10,560
Canada Girls 2024 #269 17 2,795
JM Girls 0 #270 9 7,507
IL 0 #278 5 6,291
AE Girls 0 #291 273 20,968
MY 0 #294 37 12,352
KZ Boys 0 #296 1 6,578
PA Girls 0 #299 191 9,861
OM Girls 0 #312 85 15,987
JO Girls 0 #313 13 7,570
DK Girls 0 #324 6 7,429
PE 0 #324 6 6,350
KZ Girls 0 #325 8 5,862
HK 0 #327 22 8,483
CN Boys 0 #331 1 9,639
GH Girls 0 #332 6 6,973
Germany Girls 0 #336 816 4,949
Germany 0 #353 86 2,542
SD Girls 0 #357 2 7,678
PL Girls 0 #362 3 5,096
CL 0 #378 34 6,867
NL 0 #381 11 2,481
Finland Girls 0 #382 10 1,368
JO Boys 0 #389 1 7,057
YE 0 #395 4 8,639
MX 0 #397 17 8,339
Austria Girls 0 #399 22 1,885
France Girls 2021 #403 3 3,185
BD Girls 0 #404 3 8,413
PH Boys 0 #404 5 11,440
BO 0 #405 4 6,868
HK Girls 0 #411 211 16,104
UY Boys 0 #413 1 5,922
ZA 0 #431 17 14,421
CO 0 #468 13 7,768
PT Girls 0 #469 3 7,952
UY Girls 0 #490 21 6,731
IQ Girls 0 #491 14 11,303
BH 0 #494 60 17,937
GT Girls 0 #494 12 7,500
PS Girls 0 #497 27 10,981
SA Girls 0 #497 478 25,931
CR Girls 0 #501 32 11,342
PA Boys 0 #504 2 9,305
RU Girls 0 #520 4 11,913
IR Girls 0 #541 5 8,334
United States Girls 2024 #550 390 8,487
HK Boys 0 #553 5 12,905
LY 0 #554 6 12,703
CM Girls 0 #557 4 11,671
AR Girls 0 #576 24 8,289
CL Girls 0 #583 282 14,098
IL Girls 0 #589 29 11,648
BO Girls 0 #591 21 9,488
LB 0 #640 19 13,263
IN Girls 0 #650 5 13,121
IT 0 #689 26 4,183
IQ Boys 0 #697 1 13,071
MY Girls 0 #701 302 24,821
Finland Girls 2026 #725 14 3,895
SG Boys 0 #739 1 17,960
QA Boys 0 #742 2 18,093
SY 0 #766 2 11,684
NG Girls 0 #775 12 15,093
NL Girls 0 #788 168 5,933
KW Boys 0 #800 7 18,755
United States Boys 2011 #851 5 7,432
TN 0 #864 2 13,765
PE Girls 0 #867 77 14,861
MX Girls 0 #905 286 17,781
Spain Girls 0 #908 76 5,561
OM Boys 0 #915 4 17,948
EG Boys 0 #925 1 15,035
CO Girls 0 #950 129 16,140
CO Boys 0 #981 1 15,656
BR Girls 0 #992 1 12,708
ZA Girls 0 #999 143 25,928
EG Girls 0 #1,001 9 14,742
NG Boys 0 #1,001 1 16,906
MX Boys 0 #1,033 1 16,355
IN Boys 0 #1,039 1 16,750
AE Boys 0 #1,140 4 22,615
MY Boys 0 #1,178 5 25,439
MA 0 #1,196 4 20,986
DZ 0 #1,231 4 20,130
TR 0 #1,250 5 19,440
IT Girls 0 #1,260 187 9,415
ZA Boys 0 #1,270 3 25,619
SA Boys 0 #1,604 11 28,008

Aileen is popular in 78 countries — most recent births per country:

Ireland
Canada
France
Norway
Scotland, United Kingdom

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People also ask about Aileen

Aileen is predominantly a girl's name.
Aileen is a 2 syllable name, pronounced AY-leen (ˈeɪliːn),EYE-leen (aɪˈliːn).
Common nicknames and spelling variations include Eileen, Eibhlín, Ailene, Ailín, Ayleen and Aveline.
Across languages, Aileen has these equivalents: Aveline (Old French), Eibhlín (Irish Gaelic), Helen / Helene (Greek), Eleanor (English), Elena (Spanish/Italian), and 1 more.
Yes, very popular — Aileen ranked #1 in Ireland in 2025, and appears in official birth registries across 10 countries.
Aileen ranks highest in Ireland (#1 in 2025).
Aileen's popularity is holding steady. It moved from #1 in 2015 to #1 in 2025 in Ireland.
Yes — 1 notable people named Aileen are in our database, including Aileen Quinn (Actor).