Tywan
A modern invented name without a clear etymology.
Name Census estimates that about 1,230 living Americans carry the first name Tywan. It is a predominantly male name (98.8% of registrations). The average person named Tywan today is around 33 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Tywan births was 1978 (58 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Tywan. 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.
People living today
1.2K
~ 1 in 278,662 Americans
Peak year
1978
58 babies that year
Average age
33
years old
2024 SSA rank
#10,829
Tracked since 1970
Census
Tywan in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 862 people with the first name Tywan, which placed it at #13,861 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
#13,861
National first-name rank
People counted
862
862 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.3
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
91.9% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tywan
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Tywan is Black at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Tywan 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 Tywan at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American91.9% · 792
- Two or more races3.9% · 34
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 26
- White1.0% · 9
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 1
Gender
Gender distribution for Tywan
Tywan leans heavily male at 98.8% of total registrations, but 15 girls have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Tywan as a male name
- Ranked #12,193 in 2024
- 6 male births in 2024
- Peak: 1978 (58 births)
Tywan as a female name
- Ranked #10,829 in 1976
- 5 female births in 1976
- Peak: 1973 (5 births)
2020 Census snapshot
In the 2020 Census sex table, Tywan leans strongly male. 828 people counted with this name were male (95.4%), compared with 40 female bearers (4.6%).
Popularity
Tywan: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Tywan from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 302 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
Tywan 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 Tywan during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Tywans live
The SSA's state-level files cover 9 states and territories. Illinois, New York, Michigan recorded the most babies named Tywan, while North Carolina, Georgia, Florida recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 17 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Tywan
The name Tywan is believed to have its origins in the ancient Celtic cultures that inhabited parts of modern-day Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. It is thought to be derived from the Old Celtic word "tywon," which means "leader" or "chieftain." This suggests that the name may have been given to individuals who were seen as natural-born leaders or those who held positions of authority within their communities.
While the precise origin of the name is uncertain, some scholars believe that it may have been used as early as the 5th century AD, during the height of the Celtic kingdoms in the British Isles. However, there are no known historical records or texts from this period that explicitly mention the name Tywan.
The earliest recorded use of the name Tywan can be traced back to the 12th century, when it appears in several Irish annals and genealogical records. One notable individual from this time was Tywan Mac Lochlainn, a powerful Irish king who ruled over parts of Ulster and Connacht from 1156 to 1186. He is remembered for his military victories and his efforts to unite the various Irish kingdoms under his rule.
Another significant figure bearing the name Tywan was Tywan ap Rhys, a Welsh prince who lived in the 13th century. He played a crucial role in the struggles for independence against the English crown and is remembered as a valiant warrior and leader of his people.
In the 14th century, there was Tywan of Dunfermline, a Scottish monk and scholar who is credited with producing some of the earliest translations of ancient Greek texts into Middle Scots. His work helped to preserve and disseminate classical knowledge during a time when such efforts were rare.
Moving forward to the 16th century, we encounter Tywan O'Neill, an Irish chieftain and military leader who fought against the English conquest of Ireland. He is remembered for his bravery and unwavering resistance against the English forces, and his exploits have been immortalized in Irish folklore and literature.
Finally, in the 18th century, there was Tywan Jones, a Welsh poet and writer who made significant contributions to the preservation of the Welsh language and culture. His works, which included poems, plays, and historical accounts, helped to keep the Welsh literary tradition alive during a period of increasing English influence.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals who bore the name Tywan throughout history, each leaving their mark in their respective fields and contributing to the rich tapestry of cultural heritage in the Celtic regions and beyond.
People
Tywan + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Tywan as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with T
Other first names starting with T with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Tywan: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Tywan?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,230 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Tywan 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 278,662 US residents.
Is Tywan a common name?
We classify Tywan as "Rare". It ranks above 91.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,274 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Tywan most popular?
The single biggest year for Tywan was 1978, when 58 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Tywan is about 33 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Tywan in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 862 people with the name Tywan, or 0.29 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #13,861 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 Tywan 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 Tywan?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Tywan leans strongly male. 828 people counted with this name were male (95.4%), compared with 40 female bearers (4.6%). 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 Tywan?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Tywan is Black at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Tywan most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Tywan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.9% (792 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 Tywan in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Tywan a male name?
Yes, 98.8% of people registered as Tywan 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 Tywan still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Tywan 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 Tywan 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 Tywan?
If you just want to know how many people share the name Tywan, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.