Aurora
Aurora was the 15th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 7,065 babies. That is its highest rank since records began in 1880. Over the last ten years it has moved up 63 places. More babies were named Aurora in the 2020s than in any other decade.
Meaning dawn · Latin
Say it uh-ROR-uh /əˈrɔrə/
- Rank in 2025
- #15 girls, up 21 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 7,065girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 20257,065 babies
- Total since 1880
- 99,209babies recorded
What does the name Aurora mean?
Aurora is the Latin word for dawn and the name of the Roman goddess of the dawn. Wiktionary says it has been in regular use as a given name since the 19th century. Wikipedia adds that it became common in Sweden, Italy and the Spanish-speaking world from the 17th century, and that it is also the princess's name in the Sleeping Beauty tradition.
aurōra (Latin, “dawn”)
How sure is this? Well established.
See also: Latin names, names that mean sky, star, moon or sun.
Nicknames for Aurora
The usual nicknames for Aurora are Rory. Some parents skip the long form: for every 100 girls named Aurora in the last five years, 16 were named Rory, against 23 twenty years earlier.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Girls, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rory | Modern | #230 | 5,193 |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are girls given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Auroras go by each one.
Aurora popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 96 since 1922, 5 in 2025.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #15 | 7,065 |
| 2020 | #36 | 5,256 |
| 2010 | #203 | 1,530 |
| 2000 | #488 | 557 |
| 1990 | #714 | 293 |
| 1980 | #792 | 207 |
| 1970 | #833 | 164 |
| 1960 | #765 | 177 |
| 1950 | #568 | 217 |
| 1940 | #557 | 154 |
| 1930 | #377 | 325 |
| 1920 | #399 | 274 |
| 1910 | #522 | 61 |
| 1900 | #806 | 21 |
| 1890 | #1,012 | 8 |
| 1880 | #750 | 6 |
How popular is Aurora, counting every spelling?
Aurora is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #22 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #15 for Aurora on its own. Together these spellings went to 7,077 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aurora | 7,065 | #15 | 31,632 |
| Aurorah | 12 | #8,428 | 71 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Aurora?
7,065 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Aurora (1.96 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Aurora born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is about 1 in 27. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 1 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Aurora.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Aurora?
About 89,900 people born in the US named Aurora are alive today, with a median age of 8; half are between 4 and 16. That makes Aurora a young name: most people with it are children.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Aurora by state
How common Aurora was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Alaska (4.4×), Wyoming (4.3×), Vermont (3.2×), North Dakota (2.8×), Rhode Island (2.6×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Colorado, Illinois, Georgia.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Aurora: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Aurora, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Aurora · Sibling names for Aurora
Questions about the name Aurora
What does Aurora mean?
Aurora means “dawn” (Latin origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Aurora?
Aurora was the 15th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 7,065 babies. That is its highest rank since records began in 1880. Over the last ten years it has moved up 63 places. More babies were named Aurora in the 2020s than in any other decade.
Is Aurora a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Aurora in the US.
Where is Aurora most popular?
In 2021–2025, Aurora was most common in Alaska (17.31 per 1,000 girls), followed by Wyoming and Vermont.