Subhan
An Arabic masculine name meaning "he who glorifies" or "one who gives glory".
Name Census estimates that about 778 living Americans carry the first name Subhan. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Subhan today is around 11 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Subhan births was 2023 (65 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Subhan. 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 Subhan with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
778
~ 1 in 440,558 Americans
Peak year
2023
65 babies that year
Average age
11
years old
2024 SSA rank
#2,818
Tracked since 1998
Census
Subhan in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 652 people with the first name Subhan, which placed it at #17,077 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
#17,077
National first-name rank
People counted
652
652 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.2
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Asian and Pacific Islander
84.5% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Subhan
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Subhan is Asian/Pacific Islander at 84.5%. The next largest groups are White (7.7%) and Two or More Races (6.3%). 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 Subhan 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 Subhan at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander84.5% · 551
- White7.7% · 50
- Two or more races6.3% · 41
- Black or African American0.8% · 5
- Hispanic or Latino0.8% · 5
Popularity
Subhan: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Subhan from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 387 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Subhan remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Subhan 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 Subhan during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Subhans live
The SSA's state-level files cover 6 states and territories. California, New York, Virginia recorded the most babies named Subhan, while Illinois, New Jersey, Texas recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 64 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Subhan
The name Subhan has its origins in the Arabic language, with roots tracing back to ancient times. The literal meaning of the word "Subhan" is "glorified" or "exalted," and it is derived from the Arabic root word "sabaha," which means "to swim" or "to float." This connection to water and fluidity is believed to symbolize the divine essence or the spiritual essence that transcends the physical realm.
Subhan is a name deeply rooted in Islamic tradition and is often associated with praising and glorifying God. It is mentioned in various verses of the Quran, the holy book of Islam, where it is used as an expression of reverence and exaltation. One of the most well-known instances is in the phrase "Subhan Allah," which translates to "Glory be to God."
The earliest recorded use of the name Subhan can be traced back to the 7th century AD, during the time of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and the early Islamic era. One of the most famous historical figures bearing this name was Subhan al-Wahid, a renowned Arab mathematician and astronomer who lived in the 9th century AD. He made significant contributions to the fields of algebra and trigonometry.
Another notable figure with the name Subhan was Subhan Quli Khan, a prominent 16th-century military leader and governor in the Mughal Empire, which ruled over large parts of the Indian subcontinent. He was a trusted commander under the reign of the Mughal Emperor Akbar and played a crucial role in several military campaigns.
In the realm of literature, Subhan Bakhsh was a renowned 18th-century Urdu poet and writer from the Indian subcontinent. He was known for his mastery of the Urdu language and his contributions to the development of Urdu poetry during the Mughal era.
Another historical figure with the name Subhan was Subhan Rai, a prominent Indian freedom fighter who played an active role in the Indian independence movement against British colonial rule in the early 20th century. He was a member of the Indian National Congress and participated in various non-violent protests and civil disobedience campaigns.
In more recent times, Subhan Arif was a celebrated Pakistani writer and playwright who lived from 1932 to 2008. He was renowned for his works that explored themes of social justice, human rights, and the struggles of the common people. His plays and writings had a significant impact on the literary and cultural landscape of Pakistan.
People
Subhan + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Subhan 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
Subhan: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Subhan?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 778 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Subhan 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 440,558 US residents.
Is Subhan a common name?
We classify Subhan as "Very Rare". It ranks above 88.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 784 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Subhan most popular?
The single biggest year for Subhan was 2023, when 65 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Subhan is about 11 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Subhan in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 652 people with the name Subhan, or 0.22 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #17,077 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 Subhan 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 Subhan?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Subhan leans strongly male. 641 people counted with this name were male (98.9%), compared with 7 female bearers (1.1%). 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 Subhan?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Subhan is Asian/Pacific Islander at 84.5%. The next largest groups are White (7.7%) and Two or More Races (6.3%). 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 Subhan most often in the Census?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest reported group for people named Subhan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.5% (551 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 Subhan in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Subhan a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Subhan 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 Subhan still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Subhan 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 Subhan 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 the name Subhan?
If you just want to know how many Americans are named Subhan, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.