Hayyan
An Arabic name meaning "he who lives" or "alive".
Name Census estimates that about 59 living Americans carry the first name Hayyan. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Hayyan today is around 9 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Hayyan births was 2023 (9 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Hayyan. 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 Hayyan with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Hayyan. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
59
~ 1 in 5,809,396 Americans
Peak year
2023
9 babies that year
Average age
9
years old
2024 SSA rank
#9,290
Tracked since 2008
Popularity
Hayyan: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Hayyan from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 29 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Hayyan remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Hayyan 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 Hayyan during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Hayyan
The name Hayyan traces its origins to the Arabic language. It is derived from the root word "hayy" which means "alive" or "living." The name emerged in the Middle East during the medieval period, likely around the 7th or 8th century CE.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Hayyan can be found in the works of the renowned Arabic philosopher, mathematician, and astronomer, Abu Ali al-Husayn ibn Sina, also known as Avicenna (980-1037 CE). He mentions a scholar named Hayyan al-Battani, who made significant contributions to the field of astronomy and mathematics.
Another notable figure in history who bore the name Hayyan was Hayyan al-Aswad, a Syrian Arab tribal leader who lived in the 7th century CE. He played a crucial role in the early Islamic conquests and was known for his military prowess and leadership skills.
In the realm of literature, one cannot overlook the famous Arab poet and philosopher, Abu Hayyan al-Tawhidi (923-1023 CE). His works, such as "Al-Imta' wal-Mu'anasah" and "Al-Muqabasat," explored a wide range of topics, including philosophy, ethics, and literature.
During the Golden Age of Islamic civilization, the name Hayyan was also associated with scientific and medical advancements. One notable figure was Abu Hayyan al-Nahwi (777-845 CE), an esteemed Arab grammarian and philologist who made significant contributions to the study of Arabic grammar and language.
Another prominent individual with the name Hayyan was Abu Hayyan al-Gharnati (1256-1344 CE), a renowned Andalusian scholar and commentator on the Quran. His work, "Al-Bahr al-Muhit," is considered a monumental contribution to the field of Quranic exegesis.
These are just a few examples of historical figures who bore the name Hayyan, highlighting its rich cultural heritage and significance in various fields of knowledge and endeavor throughout the centuries.
People
Hayyan + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Hayyan as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with H
Other first names starting with H with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Hayyan: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Hayyan?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 59 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Hayyan 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 5,809,396 US residents.
Is Hayyan a common name?
We classify Hayyan as "Very Rare". It ranks above 56.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 59 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Hayyan most popular?
The single biggest year for Hayyan was 2023, when 9 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Hayyan is about 9 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
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 Hayyan in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Hayyan a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Hayyan 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 Hayyan still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Hayyan 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 Hayyan 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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people have Hayyan as a first name?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.