Vash
A diminutive of the Persian name Vahid, meaning "unique" or "singular".
Name Census estimates that about 313 living Americans carry the first name Vash. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Vash today is around 12 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Vash births was 2015 (23 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Vash. 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
313
~ 1 in 1,095,062 Americans
Peak year
2015
23 babies that year
Average age
12
years old
2024 SSA rank
#4,858
Tracked since 2003
Census
Vash in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 237 people with the first name Vash, which placed it at #34,427 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
#34,427
National first-name rank
People counted
237
237 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
57.8% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Vash
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Vash is White at 57.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (16.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (12.2%). 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 Vash 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 Vash at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White57.8% · 137
- Hispanic or Latino16.0% · 38
- Asian and Pacific Islander12.2% · 29
- Two or more races10.1% · 24
- Black or African American2.1% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.7% · 4
Popularity
Vash: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Vash 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 144 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Vash remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Vash 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 Vash during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Vashs live
Origin
Meaning and history of Vash
The name Vash has its origins in the Armenian language and culture, dating back to the ancient kingdom of Armenia in the first century AD. It is derived from the Armenian word "vash," which means "brilliant" or "shining." This name was often given to children born during the summer months when the sun shone brightly.
In the 5th century, the name Vash appears in the ancient Armenian epic poem "Daredevils of Sassoun," which tells the heroic tales of the brave warriors of the Sassoun region. One of the main characters, a fearless warrior, is named Vash, suggesting the name's association with strength and valor.
The earliest recorded example of the name Vash can be found in the chronicles of the Armenian historian Movses Khorenatsi, who documented the life of a prominent military leader named Vash Artsruni, who lived in the 7th century AD. Vash Artsruni was known for his bravery and leadership during the Arab invasions of Armenia.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Vash. One of the most famous was Vash the Grappler, a legendary Armenian wrestler who competed in the 9th century AD. He was renowned for his unparalleled strength and skill in the ancient sport of kokh, which involved wrestling and grappling techniques.
Another famous Vash was Vash Parpetsi, a renowned Armenian scholar and theologian who lived in the 5th century AD. He was a prolific writer and is credited with translating numerous works from Greek into Armenian, contributing significantly to the preservation of ancient knowledge.
In the 12th century, Vash Vorotnetsi was a celebrated Armenian architect and sculptor. He is best known for his intricate carvings and architectural work on several churches and monasteries in the historical region of Vaspurakan, including the famous Haghbat Monastery.
The name Vash has also appeared in various literary works and historical accounts throughout the centuries, further solidifying its place in Armenian culture and history. While its popularity may have waxed and waned over time, the name Vash remains a proud symbol of the Armenian heritage, representing brilliance, valor, and intellectual prowess.
People
Vash + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Vash as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with V
Other first names starting with V with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Vash: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Vash?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 313 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Vash 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 1,095,062 US residents.
Is Vash a common name?
We classify Vash as "Very Rare". It ranks above 79.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 316 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Vash most popular?
The single biggest year for Vash was 2015, when 23 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Vash is about 12 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Vash in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 237 people with the name Vash, or 0.08 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #34,427 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 Vash 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 Vash?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Vash leans strongly male. 224 people counted with this name were male (93.3%), compared with 16 female bearers (6.7%). 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 Vash?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Vash is White at 57.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (16.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (12.2%). 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 Vash most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Vash in the 2020 Census, accounting for 57.8% (137 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 Vash in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Vash a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Vash 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 Vash still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Vash 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 Vash 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 common is the name Vash?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.