The aa index, designed to describe the geomagnetic activity at global scale, has been shown to have increased in the twentieth century by about 65%. The increase in the case of a corrected aa is about 38%, similar to the ones of the recently introduced interhour variability (IHV) and interdiurnal variability (IDV) indices of geomagnetic activity. In terms of 11-year running averages, there is a long-term similarity between aa, R (the sunspot number), x, y, z, and r (geomagnetic indices designed to characterize the solar quiet daily variation, controlled by the solar UV radiation), and S (the solar irradiance). We show that the variation depicted by 11-year running averages of aa and R (and by consequence also of the other parameters mentioned) results from the superposition of Hale and Gleissberg cycle signatures in the corresponding time series. The IHV and IDV indices are included in the analysis. The two signals have a substantial contribution in R (10–30% and 20–34%, respectively, of the amplitude of the solar cycle 22) and aa (<12–27% and ∼30%, respectively, of the corresponding cycle 22 in aa). Characteristics of the two signals in the solar and geomagnetic activity and several implications of the geomagnetic activity and the solar quiet daily variation relationship with various solar outputs at the Hale and Gleissberg timescales are discussed.