‘Sex and the City’: The Interesting Way Aidan Shaw Got His Name
Have you ever wondered how characters get their names? Sex and the City used its source material for most of its main characters, but the writing team decided on the names for guest stars and characters that came later. Aidan Shaw, Carrie’s second big love, was named after the actor initially considered for the role that went to John Corbett.
An actor inspired Aidan Shaw’s name
Aidan Shaw could have had any other name, but the writing team liked the name after hearing it on an actor they considered for the role. That actor was too busy for the part, but the first name stuck.
According to Darren Star, who sat down for a chat with Entertainment Weekly, the name of Carrie’s other big love was inspired by the actor that they had hoped would play the role. Star told the publication that they had initially considered Aidan Quinn for the role of Carrie’s other big love, but he passed on the project.
The team decided John Corbett would be a good fit for the role. Corbett agreed to appear, but Star liked the name Aidan and kept it for the character. It all worked out. The name perfectly fits the rugged designer, and it would have been odd to hear Carrie call him something more common like John. In the end, John turned out to be Mr. Big’s name, but that wasn’t planned when Aidan walked into Carrie’s life.
Star didn’t reveal how the team settled on Shaw for Aidan’s last name, but clearly it is a nod to Carrie’s surname. It’s interesting to think about what would have happened if Carrie and Aidan had actually wed. Would she have kept Bradshaw or shortened her last name to take on the name of her new spouse? We probably will never find out.
While Aidan returned in And Just Like That… to woo Carrie, he left her hanging during the season 2 finale. And Just Like That… will return for a third season, but fans won’t learn what becomes of Carrie and Aidan’s relationship until 2025.
Did ‘Sex and the City’ inspire a naming trend?
The writers behind Sex and the City weren’t the only ones who found the name interesting. The popularity of the name appeared to skyrocket following Aidan Shaw’s debut on Sex and the City. The furniture designer appeared for the first time in the season 3 episode, “No Ifs, Ands or Butts.” The episode aired in July 2000. At the time, the name Aidan was slowly increasing in popularity.
According to the Social Security Administration, Aidan was the 196th most popular boy’s name in 1998, the year Sex and the City premiered. By 2001, the year after Aidan wooed Carrie Bradshaw, the name jumped to 86. Its popularity peaked in 2003 when Aidan was the 39th most popular boy’s name that year. It has since slid back down the charts. In 2022, the name was barely in the top 300 names given to baby boys.
