About Kaiden
Kaiden is a modern English spelling in the Caden family, pronounced KAY-den. It became established during the growth of names sharing the sounds of Aidan, Hayden, and Braden. Its recent naming history is clear, while a specific ancient meaning is not securely established.
Origin and meaning
Kaiden is a variant of Caden. Caden is sometimes connected with an Irish surname derived from Mac Cadáin, containing the older given name Cadán. The meaning of Cadán is unknown, and that proposed connection does not provide Kaiden with a certain translation.
The modern American name’s rise is more directly associated with its sound and its place among other names ending in den. “Warrior,” often attached to this group in popular name lists, is not a secure meaning for Kaiden.
The spelling belongs to modern English usage. Its k and ai distinguish it on the page from Caden, while leaving the familiar two-syllable sound intact.
Pronunciation and related spellings
Kaiden is KAY-den, with stress on the first syllable. Caden, Caiden, Cayden, Kaden, Kaeden, and Kayden are related spellings in the same modern family.
Aidan, Hayden, and Braden share part of that sound but have their own histories. Their resemblance helps explain the naming fashion in which Kaiden developed; it does not make them interchangeable forms of one older name.
Kaiden Guhle
Canadian hockey player Kaiden Guhle is a public bearer of this exact spelling. Montreal selected him sixteenth overall in the 2020 NHL draft. His earlier international experience included a silver medal with Canada at the 2019 Hlinka Gretzky Cup.
On 20 December 2021, Hockey Canada announced him as captain of its team for the upcoming World Junior Championship. Jake Neighbours and Cole Perfetti were named alternate captains. At the time, Guhle played for Edmonton in the Western Hockey League.
His career gives Kaiden a sporting association outside the American birth records in which the spelling’s growth is especially visible.
Popularity in the United States
The local series first records twelve boys named Kaiden in 1992. By 2000, there were 192, at No. 836. The number climbed to 3,113 in 2013, when Kaiden achieved its best rank, No. 122.
The highest count followed in 2014, with 3,269 boys. In 2025, there were 1,476, placing the spelling at No. 237.
Other spellings have substantial separate use. In 2025, Kayden had 2,678 boys, Caden 1,742, and Kaden 1,034. These figures show why Kaiden’s own rank captures only one part of the broader spelling family.
Kaiden also appears in the female series, with twelve girls recorded in 2025. Its American use is overwhelmingly male.
Sources & methodologyReferences, data & attribution
Meaning and history draw on the references below. Popularity figures use the local Social Security Administration series for this exact spelling and sex; counts below five are omitted. Existing Wiktionary material is available under CC BY-SA. Suggested shortenings are identified in the prose.
- Wiktionary: Kaiden (English)
- Social Security Administration: national name data
- Hockey Canada: Kaiden Guhle named captain
- Hockey Canada: Kaiden Guhle profile
Wiktionary material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
How popular is Kaiden?
In 2025, Kaiden ranked #237 among boys in the United States, with 1,476 recorded uses. The U.S. birth records first list this spelling for boys in 1992; its largest annual count was 3,269 in 2014. Rankings count each spelling separately. They describe national use, so local familiarity can differ. The popularity chart shows whether the name has remained common, returned after a quieter period, or risen recently.