Sajan
A masculine Indian name meaning "beloved" or "friend".
Name Census estimates that about 291 living Americans carry the first name Sajan. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Sajan today is around 19 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Sajan births was 2011 (17 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Sajan. 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 Sajan with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
291
~ 1 in 1,177,850 Americans
Peak year
2011
17 babies that year
Average age
19
years old
2024 SSA rank
#13,826
Tracked since 1978
Census
Sajan in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 730 people with the first name Sajan, which placed it at #15,675 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
#15,675
National first-name rank
People counted
730
730 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.2
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Asian and Pacific Islander
89.7% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sajan
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Sajan is Asian/Pacific Islander at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and White (3.8%). 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 Sajan 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 Sajan at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander89.7% · 655
- Two or more races4.2% · 31
- White3.8% · 28
- Hispanic or Latino1.1% · 8
- Black or African American0.7% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 3
Popularity
Sajan: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Sajan from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 104 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
Sajan 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 Sajan during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Sajans live
Origin
Meaning and history of Sajan
The given name Sajan has its origins in Sanskrit, an ancient Indo-Aryan language that served as the root of many modern languages spoken in the Indian subcontinent. The name is believed to have derived from the Sanskrit word "sajan," which means "friend" or "beloved." It is a widely used name among Hindus, particularly in India and Nepal.
In ancient Hindu scriptures and literature, the name Sajan is often used as a term of endearment, particularly in romantic contexts. The name appears in various Hindu texts, including the Upanishads and the Puranas, reflecting its deep-rooted cultural significance.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Sajan can be traced back to the 7th century CE, when it was mentioned in the writings of the famous Indian poet and scholar, Kalidasa. In his celebrated work, "Meghaduta" (The Cloud Messenger), Kalidasa used the term "sajan" to refer to a beloved friend or lover.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Sajan. One of the most prominent figures was Sajan Singh (1686-1765), a powerful ruler of the Sikh Empire in the 18th century. He played a crucial role in the expansion and consolidation of the empire during his reign.
Another famous bearer of the name was Sajan Nath Tiwari (1907-1980), an influential Indian politician and writer who served as the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh from 1976 to 1977. He was known for his contributions to the literary world and his advocacy for social reforms.
In the field of music, Sajan Mishra (1946-2015) was a renowned Indian classical vocalist and composer. He was awarded the prestigious Padma Shri, one of India's highest civilian honors, in recognition of his outstanding contributions to the world of music.
Sajan Bhanudas Ghose (1920-1997) was an eminent Indian jurist who served as the Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court from 1981 to 1984. He was widely respected for his legal acumen and judicial independence.
Finally, Sajan Raj Virdi (1942-2014) was a prominent British-Indian actor and playwright. He gained recognition for his roles in several British television series and films, as well as his contributions to the theater scene in the United Kingdom.
People
Sajan + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Sajan as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with S
Other first names starting with S with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Sajan: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Sajan?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 291 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Sajan 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 1,177,850 US residents.
Is Sajan a common name?
We classify Sajan as "Very Rare". It ranks above 78.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 295 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Sajan most popular?
The single biggest year for Sajan was 2011, when 17 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Sajan is about 19 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Sajan in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 730 people with the name Sajan, or 0.24 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #15,675 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 Sajan 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 Sajan?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Sajan leans strongly male. 724 people counted with this name were male (97.4%), compared with 19 female bearers (2.6%). 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 Sajan?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Sajan is Asian/Pacific Islander at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and White (3.8%). 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 Sajan most often in the Census?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest reported group for people named Sajan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.7% (655 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 Sajan in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Sajan a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Sajan 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 Sajan still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Sajan 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 Sajan 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 have Sajan as a first name?
For a quick modern take, check how many people share the name Sajan on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.