Avan
Derived from the Sanskrit word "avantika", meaning a person from the west.
Name Census estimates that about 1,001 living Americans carry the first name Avan. It is a predominantly male name (94.4% of registrations). The average person named Avan today is around 13 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Avan births was 2012 (98 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Avan. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Avan with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Avan is a relatively new arrival in the SSA data. The average bearer is just 13 years old, meaning it gained most of its traction in the last two decades.
People living today
1.0K
~ 1 in 342,412 Americans
Peak year
2012
98 babies that year
Average age
13
years old
2024 SSA rank
#3,786
Tracked since 1923
Census
Avan in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 1,059 people with the first name Avan, which placed it at #11,928 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#11,928
National first-name rank
People counted
1.1K
1,059 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.4
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
35.2% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Avan
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Avan is White at 35.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (28.0%) and Black (15.4%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Avan described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Avan at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White35.2% · 373
- Hispanic or Latino28.0% · 297
- Black or African American15.4% · 163
- Asian and Pacific Islander14.3% · 151
- Two or more races5.9% · 62
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.2% · 13
Gender
Gender distribution for Avan
Avan leans heavily male at 94.4% of total registrations, but 57 girls have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Avan as a male name
- Ranked #3,786 in 2024
- 29 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2012 (93 births)
Avan as a female name
- Ranked #10,663 in 2018
- 9 female births in 2018
- Peak: 2008 (9 births)
2020 Census snapshot
In the 2020 Census sex table, Avan leans strongly male. 894 people counted with this name were male (84.5%), compared with 164 female bearers (15.5%).
Popularity
Avan: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Avan from the 1920s through to the 2020s, spanning 10 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 614 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2010s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Avan by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Avan during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Avans live
The SSA's state-level files cover 10 states and territories. California, Texas, Illinois recorded the most babies named Avan, while North Carolina, Louisiana, Florida recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 27 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Avan
The name Avan is derived from the Armenian language and culture, with its origins traced back to the ancient Armenian kingdom of the 4th century BCE. It is believed to be a variation of the Armenian name Avan, which means "prosperous" or "fertile." The name has its roots in the Armenian word "avan," which means "meadow" or "field," symbolizing abundance and prosperity.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Avan can be found in the 5th century Armenian epic poem "Daredevils of Sassoun," where Avan is mentioned as a heroic figure. Additionally, the name appears in several Armenian manuscripts and historical records from the medieval period, indicating its longstanding presence in Armenian culture.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Avan. One of the earliest recorded figures was Avan the Great, an Armenian military commander who lived in the 7th century and played a crucial role in defending Armenia against Arab invasions. Another prominent figure was Avan Amatuni, a 10th-century Armenian prince and military leader known for his bravery and tactical skills.
In the 12th century, Avan Vanaketsi was a renowned Armenian philosopher, theologian, and poet who made significant contributions to Armenian literature and intellectual discourse. His works explored themes of spirituality, ethics, and the human condition.
Moving forward in time, Avan Petrosyan was a 19th-century Armenian painter and artist who gained recognition for his realistic depictions of Armenian life and landscapes. His works are considered important examples of Armenian realist art from the late 19th century.
In the 20th century, Avan Yuzbashyan was a prominent Armenian actor and director who had a successful career in both theater and film. He was celebrated for his portrayal of complex and nuanced characters, and his contributions to Armenian performing arts were widely recognized.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals who have borne the name Avan throughout history, reflecting its deep roots in Armenian culture and its association with prosperity, fertility, and achievement.
People
Avan + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Avan as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with A
Other first names starting with A with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Avan: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Avan?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,001 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Avan going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 342,412 US residents.
Is Avan a common name?
We classify Avan as "Rare". It ranks above 90.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,023 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Avan most popular?
The single biggest year for Avan was 2012, when 98 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Avan is about 13 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Avan in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 1,059 people with the name Avan, or 0.35 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #11,928 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Avan in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Avan?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Avan leans strongly male. 894 people counted with this name were male (84.5%), compared with 164 female bearers (15.5%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Avan?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Avan is White at 35.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (28.0%) and Black (15.4%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Avan most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Avan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 35.2% (373 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Avan in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Avan a male name?
Yes, 94.4% of people registered as Avan in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Avan still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Avan in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Avan can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How common is the name Avan?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.