Okay - does this matter?! (spelling)

iVillage Member
Registered: 05-12-2003
Okay - does this matter?! (spelling)
10
Tue, 02-22-2005 - 5:55pm

Okay - does this matter?! (spelling)



  • Does the spelling matter for Aiden/Aidan?
  • middle name will be Luke and last name has
  • 3 'e's - I'm leaning to toward Aiden but does it
  • matter??
  • ****
  • It looks better w/ an 'en' w/ other names
  • It doesn't really matter - use whichever you like


You will be able to change your vote.


Avatar for devonelisa
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Tue, 02-22-2005 - 6:36pm

No idea how you're supposed to vote this in your poll but yes, it matters.

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iVillage Member
Registered: 05-12-2003
Tue, 02-22-2005 - 8:28pm

I know that 'Aidan' is an Irish name but I have been told by numerous people that 'Aiden' is a name in its own right. Maybe I'm wrong but I think most people like their children's names to 'look' right when spelled out as well as sounding right out loud. (i.e. Not every spelling is as appealing w/ mns etc.) I'm naming a child for life and I'm sorry if you felt my question was overly analytical.

iVillage Member
Registered: 05-26-2003
Tue, 02-22-2005 - 10:53pm

I didn't think your question was overly-analytical, but my answer is that YES of course it matters.

Aiden is NOT a name in its own right - it is an incorrect spelling of Aidan. I don't care if there is a cute website out there that wants to cater to parents who only want to hear that "anything goes" or that "a lot of people say" that Aiden is a name in itself. It is not. An "alternate" spelling does not change a name and give it a new meaning. Gaelic does not have an "en" ending. Aiden is not an original name coming from any other language. Aidan is the correct anglicized spelling of the name. These are the same websites that say Mackenzie means "princess" (No - "Mac" means "son of" and is very mascueline) and that Neveah means "butterfly" in a Slavic language.

It's great that you are thinking so carefully about this issue and it IS important because you ARE naming him for life. If you do go with Aidan (despite the wild popularity) I think you owe it to him to spell his name correctly.

iVillage Member
Registered: 08-28-2003
Wed, 02-23-2005 - 8:21am

To me, the spelling Aidan looks much better than Aiden...I tend to think of Aidan as the more traditional spelling, I don't know if that's the case or not, but I definitely prefer Aidan...Aidan Luke is great!

Marguerite
mom to Trevor Mason

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iVillage Member
Registered: 03-27-2003
Wed, 02-23-2005 - 10:35am

Aidan is the original. Aiden is the largely accepted variant. With 3 e's in ln, why not go -an?

Also, I really like Aidan/Aiden. Honest I do. But are you sure? It will be the most popular name of the year. You must admit that even with a name as great as Aidan, the repetition takes away at least some of the glory.

What about Gavin, Colin/Collin, Liam or Brody? Very Irish, very good with Eva & Erik. Very hip but not as popular.
Just a thought.

Later, Ginger p.s. Henry has broken the top 100 with a bang.

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-07-2003
Wed, 02-23-2005 - 11:13am
I'll be honest, since Aidan is the most popular name of last year and probably will be 1 or 2 this year. Your Aidan/Aiden will probbaly be one of three or four in his class all through school and they will probably be spelled both ways, so I don't think it really matters.




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Avatar for devonelisa
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Thu, 02-24-2005 - 6:58am

I didn't think it was overly analytical either, just a bit odd to be thinking of which vowels featured in the surname and trying to match them.

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iVillage Member
Registered: 12-08-2004
Thu, 02-24-2005 - 11:02am
The name properly is spelled Aidan, but if you want to change it, that's your right, I suppose. I'm curious about why you'd want to spell it Aiden, though...Aidan Luke looks fine, and he won't have to continually correct everyone's spelling.
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-28-2003
Thu, 02-24-2005 - 5:13pm
I didn't know how to "vote" in your poll, but I prefer the traditional spelling of Aidan.
iVillage Member
Registered: 10-17-2000
Fri, 02-25-2005 - 12:24am
Hmm, I noticed that there was really no way to vote for Aidan -- there was something like "en looks better with the rest of the name" & "it doesn't matter, use whatever spelling you want".