Aileen: Meaning, Pronunciation and Origin
Aileen is a form of Eileen, from the Irish Eibhlín. Here’s how to say it, where it comes from, and names that go well with it.
Updated September 2026
- Gender
- Girl
- Also spelled
- Ailene
- Popularity in Ireland
- No. 718 for girls (2025)
How do you pronounce Aileen?
Aileen is pronounced AY-leen. It has two syllables, with the stress on the first. Other spellings: Ailene.
What does Aileen mean?
Aileen is a variant of Eileen and an English form of the Irish Eibhlín, also spelled Aibhilín. It is not, as sometimes claimed, an ancient Gaelic name from a word meaning “noble.” Eibhlín came to Ireland with the Anglo-Normans. Modern references trace it to the Norman French Aveline, the source of Evelyn, a Germanic name of uncertain meaning; older Irish name books linked it instead with Helen.
Aileen is used in Scotland as well as Ireland. The Irish form was borne by Eibhlín Dubh Ní Chonaill (about 1743–1800), who composed Caoineadh Airt Uí Laoghaire, the celebrated lament for her husband, Art Ó Laoghaire, who was killed in 1773.
Sources: Behind the Name, Woulfe, Irish Names and Surnames (1923), Wikipedia.
How popular is Aileen in Ireland?
In 2025, 4 baby girls in Ireland were named Aileen, which made it No. 718 that year. That's up from No. 751 ten years earlier. It was most popular in 1983, when 101 baby girls were named Aileen, No. 81 that year. The most babies got the name in 1976: 103. The records go back to 1964, when 63 baby girls were given the name.
See the numbers by year
| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 4 | No. 718 |
| 2024 | 6 | No. 556 |
| 2023 | 4 | No. 727 |
| 2022 | 4 | No. 747 |
| 2021 | 5 | No. 661 |
| 2018 | 3 | No. 896 |
| 2016 | 13 | No. 335 |
| 2015 | 4 | No. 751 |
| 2014 | 8 | No. 494 |
| 2013 | 9 | No. 459 |
| 2012 | 3 | No. 907 |
| 2011 | 8 | No. 510 |
| 2010 | 8 | No. 510 |
| 2009 | 4 | No. 742 |
| 2008 | 10 | No. 430 |
| 2007 | 5 | No. 624 |
| 2006 | 7 | No. 464 |
| 2005 | 6 | No. 461 |
| 2004 | 5 | No. 511 |
| 2003 | 14 | No. 247 |
| 2002 | 14 | No. 254 |
| 2001 | 13 | No. 254 |
| 2000 | 14 | No. 239 |
| 1999 | 12 | No. 245 |
| 1998 | 21 | No. 166 |
| 1997 | 30 | No. 156 |
| 1996 | 30 | No. 164 |
| 1995 | 27 | No. 162 |
| 1994 | 41 | No. 130 |
| 1993 | 37 | No. 139 |
| 1992 | 42 | No. 129 |
| 1991 | 37 | No. 141 |
| 1990 | 47 | No. 118 |
| 1989 | 40 | No. 131 |
| 1988 | 50 | No. 116 |
| 1987 | 66 | No. 104 |
| 1986 | 68 | No. 101 |
| 1985 | 76 | No. 94 |
| 1984 | 70 | No. 103 |
| 1983 | 101 | No. 81 |
| 1982 | 73 | No. 110 |
| 1981 | 93 | No. 88 |
| 1980 | 92 | No. 95 |
| 1979 | 95 | No. 86 |
| 1978 | 82 | No. 103 |
| 1977 | 81 | No. 97 |
| 1976 | 103 | No. 83 |
| 1975 | 74 | No. 108 |
| 1974 | 85 | No. 104 |
| 1973 | 93 | No. 89 |
| 1972 | 90 | No. 91 |
| 1971 | 72 | No. 114 |
| 1970 | 80 | No. 99 |
| 1969 | 86 | No. 88 |
| 1968 | 72 | No. 95 |
| 1967 | 60 | No. 103 |
| 1966 | 77 | No. 82 |
| 1965 | 62 | No. 103 |
| 1964 | 63 | No. 100 |
Aileen in Ogham
Ogham is the oldest way of writing Irish. It was carved along the edges of standing stones, mostly between the 4th and 6th centuries, and read from the bottom up. In later tradition each letter was named after a tree or plant. Here’s Aileen, letter by letter.
- AAilm, pine
- IIodhadh, yew
- LLuis, rowan
- EEadhadh, aspen
- EEadhadh, aspen
- NNion, ash
Write any name in Ogham with our Ogham translator
Names that go with Aileen
Questions about Aileen
- How do you pronounce Aileen?
- Aileen is pronounced AY-leen. Two syllables, stress on the first.
- Is Aileen a girl's name or a boy's name?
- Aileen is a girl's name.
- How popular is Aileen in Ireland?
- In 2025, Aileen was No. 718 for girls in Ireland, with 4 babies, according to the Central Statistics Office. It was most popular in 1983, at No. 81.