Furkan
A masculine name of Arabic origin meaning "criterion" or "distinction".
Name Census estimates that about 138 living Americans carry the first name Furkan. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Furkan today is around 18 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Furkan births was 2005 (11 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Furkan. 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 Furkan with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
138
~ 1 in 2,483,727 Americans
Peak year
2005
11 babies that year
Average age
18
years old
2021 SSA rank
#12,744
Tracked since 1994
Census
Furkan in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 297 people with the first name Furkan, which placed it at #29,680 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
#29,680
National first-name rank
People counted
297
297 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
87.2% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Furkan
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Furkan is White at 87.2%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (6.4%) and Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Furkan 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 Furkan at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.2% · 259
- Asian and Pacific Islander6.4% · 19
- Two or more races3.7% · 11
- Black or African American1.3% · 4
- Hispanic or Latino1.3% · 4
Popularity
Furkan: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Furkan from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 61 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Furkan 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 Furkan during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Furkans live
Origin
Meaning and history of Furkan
The name Furkan has its origins in the Arabic language and Islamic culture. It is derived from the Arabic word "furqan," which means "criterion" or "distinction." The word "furqan" is used in the Quran to refer to the divine revelation and guidance provided by Allah.
In the Quran, the term "furqan" is mentioned several times, including in Surat Al-Anfal (8:41) and Surat Al-Furqan (25:1). The latter surah, which is the 25th chapter of the Quran, is titled "Al-Furqan," emphasizing the importance of this concept in Islamic teachings.
The name Furkan gained popularity among Muslims as a way to express their devotion to the Quran and Islamic principles. It became a common name choice for boys, particularly in regions with significant Muslim populations.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Furkan can be found in historical accounts from the 7th century, during the early years of Islamic civilization. However, it is difficult to pinpoint the exact origin and first recorded use of the name due to the limited historical records from that time period.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Furkan. One example is Furkan Abdic (1939-2023), a Bosnian politician and military leader who played a significant role during the Bosnian War in the 1990s.
Another prominent individual with the name Furkan was Furkan Palalı (1973-2002), a Turkish journalist and writer who was known for his work on human rights and social issues. He was tragically killed in a car accident at a young age.
In the realm of sports, Furkan Aldemir (born 1991) is a Turkish professional basketball player who has represented Turkey in international competitions and played for various clubs in Europe and Turkey.
Furkan Doğan (born 1992) is a Turkish actor and model who has appeared in several popular television series and films in Turkey.
Furkan Korkmaz (born 1997) is a Turkish professional basketball player who currently plays for the Philadelphia 76ers in the NBA. He is considered one of the promising young talents in Turkish basketball.
These are just a few examples of individuals throughout history who have carried the name Furkan. While the name has its roots in Arabic and Islamic culture, it has been embraced by people from various backgrounds and regions, particularly in the Middle East and parts of Europe.
People
Furkan + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Furkan as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with F
Other first names starting with F with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Furkan: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Furkan?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 138 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Furkan 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 2,483,727 US residents.
Is Furkan a common name?
We classify Furkan as "Very Rare". It ranks above 69.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 140 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Furkan most popular?
The single biggest year for Furkan was 2005, when 11 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Furkan is about 18 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Furkan in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 297 people with the name Furkan, or 0.10 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #29,680 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 Furkan 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 Furkan?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Furkan leans strongly male. 290 people counted with this name were male (97.3%), compared with 8 female bearers (2.7%). 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 Furkan?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Furkan is White at 87.2%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (6.4%) and Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Furkan most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Furkan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.2% (259 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 Furkan in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Furkan a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Furkan 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 Furkan still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Furkan 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 Furkan 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 many people are called Furkan?
You can see how many Americans are named Furkan on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.