Kewan
A masculine name of Native American origin meaning "swift walker".
Name Census estimates that about 328 living Americans carry the first name Kewan. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Kewan today is around 29 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kewan births was 1997 (20 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kewan. 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 Kewan with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
328
~ 1 in 1,044,983 Americans
Peak year
1997
20 babies that year
Average age
29
years old
2017 SSA rank
#11,526
Tracked since 1974
Census
Kewan in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 289 people with the first name Kewan, which placed it at #30,250 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
#30,250
National first-name rank
People counted
289
289 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
87.2% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kewan
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Kewan is Black at 87.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.8%) and White (3.5%). 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 Kewan 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 Kewan at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American87.2% · 252
- Two or more races4.8% · 14
- White3.5% · 10
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 8
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.4% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 1
Popularity
Kewan: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Kewan from the 1970s through to the 2010s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 114 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1990s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Kewan 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 Kewan during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Kewans live
Origin
Meaning and history of Kewan
The name Kewan originates from the Native American Navajo language, and it dates back to the 16th century. It is derived from the Navajo word "keuan," which means "dark brown" or "chestnut color." The name is closely associated with the Navajo people, who are an indigenous group native to the Southwestern United States.
In Navajo culture, names often hold significant meanings and are chosen with great care. The name Kewan likely refers to the rich, earthy tones found in nature, such as the hues of soil, bark, or autumn leaves. It may have been given to individuals with complexions or hair colors resembling these shades.
While there are no known historical references to the name Kewan in ancient texts or religious scriptures, it has been documented in records of the Navajo Nation. The earliest recorded instance of the name dates back to the late 1700s, when a Navajo man named Kewan was listed in a Spanish colonial document.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Kewan. One of the earliest was Kewan Tso (1830-1905), a prominent Navajo leader and diplomat who played a crucial role in negotiating peace treaties between the Navajo Nation and the United States government. Another notable figure was Kewan Bah (1845-1918), a skilled silversmith and artisan whose intricate jewelry and metalwork helped preserve traditional Navajo craftsmanship.
In more recent times, Kewan Bennalley (1920-1992) was a celebrated Navajo painter and muralist whose vibrant works depicted scenes from Navajo life and mythology. Kewan Tsosie (1950-2018) was a respected educator and advocate for Native American rights, serving as the president of the Navajo Nation's college system.
Lastly, Kewan Chee (1975-present) is a contemporary Navajo artist known for her intricate weavings and textiles, which combine traditional techniques with modern design elements. Her work has been exhibited in galleries and museums across the United States.
People
Kewan + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kewan as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with K
Other first names starting with K with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Kewan: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kewan?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 328 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kewan 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 1,044,983 US residents.
Is Kewan a common name?
We classify Kewan as "Very Rare". It ranks above 80.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 337 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kewan most popular?
The single biggest year for Kewan was 1997, when 20 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kewan is about 29 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Kewan in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 289 people with the name Kewan, or 0.10 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #30,250 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 Kewan 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 Kewan?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Kewan leans strongly male. 275 people counted with this name were male (95.5%), compared with 13 female bearers (4.5%). 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 Kewan?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Kewan is Black at 87.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.8%) and White (3.5%). 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 Kewan most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Kewan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.2% (252 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 Kewan in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Kewan a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Kewan 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 Kewan still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Kewan 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 Kewan 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 Americans are named Kewan?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.