Ari is a unisex name with a modern feel, drawn from real birth records. Below you'll find what Ari means and where it comes from, plus how many babies have been named Ari across the United States, UK, Ireland and New Zealand, how popular Ari has been over the decades, and the year it peaked.
Ari is a unisex name of Hebrew origin meaning “lion”. A short form of names like Ariel or Arthur, also a Hebrew word for lion.
| Country | Births on record |
|---|---|
| United States since 1880 | 28,254 births |
| England & Wales since 1996 | 1,666 births |
| Scotland since 1974 | 132 births |
| Northern Ireland since 1997 | 12 births |
| Ireland since 1964 | 50 births |
| New Zealand top 100, since 1954 | 213 births |
Counts come from official national birth-registration statistics: U.S. Social Security Administration, England & Wales (Office for National Statistics), Scotland (National Records of Scotland), Northern Ireland (NISRA), Ireland (Central Statistics Office) and New Zealand (Dept. of Internal Affairs). Coverage spans differ, so totals aren't directly comparable across countries.
Babies named Ari per year, United States (1958 to 2025). United States peaked in 2022 (1,752/yr) · England & Wales peaked in 2023 (236/yr) · Scotland peaked in 2022 (18/yr) · Ireland peaked in 2024 (9/yr) · Northern Ireland peaked in 2022 (6/yr).
Ari has been a fairly common baby name in the United States. It was most common in 2022, when it ranked #396 nationally (given to 1,987 babies that year).
Aria · Arya · Ora · Ira · Ariah · Ariyah · Era · Ariya
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