Won
A Korean name meaning "complete, whole" or "successful".
Name Census estimates that about 93 living Americans carry the first name Won. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Won today is around 38 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Won births was 1979 (8 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Won. 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.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Won. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
93
~ 1 in 3,685,531 Americans
Peak year
1979
8 babies that year
Average age
38
years old
2007 SSA rank
#10,873
Tracked since 1972
Census
Won in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 2,977 people with the first name Won, which placed it at #5,675 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
#5,675
National first-name rank
People counted
3.0K
2,977 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
1.0
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Asian and Pacific Islander
95.9% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Won
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Won is Asian/Pacific Islander at 95.9%. The next largest groups are White (1.3%) and Hispanic (1.2%). 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 Won 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 Won at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander95.9% · 2,854
- White1.3% · 40
- Hispanic or Latino1.2% · 37
- Black or African American1.1% · 32
- Two or more races0.5% · 14
Popularity
Won: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Won from the 1970s through to the 2000s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 40 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1980s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Won 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 Won during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Won
The name Won has its origins in Korean culture and language. It is derived from the Korean word "won," which means "round" or "complete." The name was likely given to signify wholeness, perfection, or the cyclical nature of life.
In ancient Korean history, the name Won appeared in various historical records and texts. It was a common name among the aristocratic and royal families during the Goryeo Dynasty (918-1392) and the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1897). The name carried a connotation of nobility and prestige.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Won dates back to the 7th century. Won Gwang, a renowned Buddhist monk and scholar, lived during the Silla Kingdom (57 BC - 935 AD). He is remembered for his contributions to the spread of Buddhism in Korea and his literary works.
In the 15th century, Won Hyun was a prominent Confucian scholar and politician during the Joseon Dynasty. He played a significant role in the establishment of the Confucian education system and the promotion of Confucian values in Korean society.
Another notable figure with the name Won was Won Kyun (1509-1565), a distinguished military commander and strategist during the Joseon Dynasty. He is renowned for his victories against Japanese invaders during the Imjin War (1592-1598).
During the 19th century, Won Sang-kyun (1835-1922) was a prominent scholar and diplomat who played a crucial role in the modernization of Korea. He was instrumental in establishing diplomatic relations with the United States and other Western nations.
In more recent history, Won Tae-in (1900-1975) was a renowned Korean painter and calligrapher. He is celebrated for his contributions to the development of modern Korean art and his efforts in preserving traditional Korean artistic techniques.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals throughout history who bore the name Won. The name has a rich cultural significance and a long-standing tradition in Korean society, often associated with nobility, scholarly pursuits, and artistic achievements.
People
Won + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Won as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with W
Other first names starting with W with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Won: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Won?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 93 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Won 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 3,685,531 US residents.
Is Won a common name?
We classify Won as "Very Rare". It ranks above 63.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 97 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Won most popular?
The single biggest year for Won was 1979, when 8 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Won is about 38 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Won in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 2,977 people with the name Won, or 0.99 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #5,675 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 Won 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 Won?
The 2020 Census sex table shows Won on both sides of the split. Of the 2,981 people counted with this name, 2,091 were male (70.1%) and 890 were female (29.9%). 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 Won?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Won is Asian/Pacific Islander at 95.9%. The next largest groups are White (1.3%) and Hispanic (1.2%). 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 Won most often in the Census?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest reported group for people named Won in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.9% (2,854 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 Won in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Won a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Won 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 Won still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Won 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 Won 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 share the name Won?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.