Aras
Of Persian origin, meaning "noble" or "sublime".
Name Census estimates that about 391 living Americans carry the first name Aras. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Aras today is around 11 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Aras births was 2024 (39 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Aras. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
391
~ 1 in 876,610 Americans
Peak year
2024
39 babies that year
Average age
11
years old
2024 SSA rank
#3,096
Tracked since 1961
Popularity
Aras: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Aras from the 1960s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 184 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Aras remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Aras by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Aras during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Aras' live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. California, New Jersey, New York recorded the most babies named Aras, while New York, New Jersey, California recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 22 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Aras
The name Aras is derived from the Armenian language and culture, originating around the 5th century AD. It is thought to be a variant of the Armenian name Ara, which means "king" or "lord." The name Aras was likely a diminutive or affectionate form of this older name.
One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Aras can be found in the Armenian epic poem "Daredevils of Sassoun," which dates back to the 8th century AD. In this work, Aras is the name of a heroic figure who fights against the invading Arab armies.
In the 11th century, there was a prominent Armenian military commander named Aras Pahlavuni, who played a key role in defending the city of Ani against the Seljuk Turks. He is mentioned in several historical chronicles from that era.
During the 12th century, an Armenian prince named Aras Artsruni ruled over the region of Khachen, which is now part of modern-day Nagorno-Karabakh. He is known for his efforts in promoting Armenian culture and literature.
In more recent times, one of the most famous individuals with the name Aras was Aras Iskandaryan, an Armenian politician and diplomat who served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia from 1998 to 1999.
Another notable figure was Aras Özbiliz, a Turkish-Armenian painter and artist who lived from 1876 to 1964. He was known for his impressionist landscapes and portraits, and his works are displayed in several art museums in Turkey and Armenia.
The name Aras has also been used by other historical figures, such as Aras Nersisyan, an Armenian chess grandmaster who was active in the 1960s and 1970s, and Aras Agalarov, a Russian-Armenian businessperson and real estate developer born in 1955.
People
Aras + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Aras as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with A
Other first names starting with A with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Aras: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Aras?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 391 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Aras going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 876,610 US residents.
Is Aras a common name?
We classify Aras as "Very Rare". It ranks above 82.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 395 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Aras most popular?
The single biggest year for Aras was 2024, when 39 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Aras is about 11 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Aras a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Aras in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.