Aaron vs Shan
Aaron and Shancompared on official birth-registration statistics and Namewise's recorded data. This page states what each name's record shows — it never picks a winner or scores one name against the other.
Head to head
Ranks are only compared within one published list and one year. Two ranks from different years, from a boys' and a girls' list, or from different registrars are not comparable, so they are not placed side by side.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2020, Aaron was ranked #120 and Shan #4608 among boys in England and Wales.
Northern Ireland · Boys
In 2022, Aaron was ranked #131 and Shan #414 among boys in Northern Ireland.
Aaron and Shan over time
Aaron and Shan appear together in 1 published list, across 21 years of shared records. Aaron held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Shan in 0.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
Counted list by list. Two names in the same published list are measured on the same scale in the same year, so those comparisons are real — but positions from different lists are not, so nothing here is combined into an overall standing.
How this pair is related
The relationship kinds these two qualify for, each under its own stated rule. Every one is drawn from a list they both appear in.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in England and Wales · Boys within 2 years — Aaron #31 in 1998, Shan #1642 in 1998.
List by list
England and Wales · Boys21 shared years, 1996–2020
Aaron held the stronger position in 21 of those years, Shan in 0.
Highest recorded here: Aaron #31 in 1998, Shan #1642 in 1998.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2020: Aaron #120, Shan #4608.
Two names moving past each other in a ranking is a fact about the ranking. Namewise does not claim one name displaced the other, that families chose between them, or that either influenced the other — none of that is in this data.
Side by side
| Field | Aaron | Shan |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Official statistical record (evidence-only) |
| Gender usage | male | Used for both boys and girls |
| Meaning | Best known as the name of Moses's elder brother and the first high priest of Israel in the Old Testament; the literal meaning of the name itself is not reliably established. | Not yet recorded |
| Origin | Biblical Hebrew (likely of Egyptian origin) | Not yet recorded |
| Pronunciation | /ˈɛrən/ | Not yet recorded |
| Syllables | 2 | 1 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ | GB-ENW, GB-NIR |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Boys #71 (2025) | Northern Ireland · Boys #414 (2022) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 94/100 | 95/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 60/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Aaron has a recorded origin (Biblical Hebrew (likely of Egyptian origin)); Shan does not have one recorded yet.
- Aaron has 2 syllables, compared with 1 for Shan.
- A meaning is recorded for Aaron; Shan doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, GB-NIR.
How each name got here
Aaron
Popularity journey
First recorded1965
First recorded at #222 among boys in Republic of Ireland in 1965 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Highest recorded1965–2025
Highest recorded position: #6 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 1998 (recorded 1965–2025).
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #334 among boys in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Boys
Shan
Popularity journey
First recorded1996
First recorded at #3795 among girls in England and Wales in 1996 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
England and Wales · Girls
Most recent2022
Most recently recorded at #4645 among girls in England and Wales, in 2022.
England and Wales · Girls