Yigit
A masculine Turkish name meaning "brave", "courageous", or "heroic".
Name Census estimates that about 69 living Americans carry the first name Yigit. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Yigit today is around 13 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Yigit births was 2015 (9 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Yigit. 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 Yigit with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Yigit. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
69
~ 1 in 4,967,454 Americans
Peak year
2015
9 babies that year
Average age
13
years old
2019 SSA rank
#12,086
Tracked since 2004
Popularity
Yigit: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Yigit from the 2000s through to the 2010s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 51 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Yigit 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 Yigit 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 Yigit
The name Yigit has its origins in the Turkish language and culture. It is derived from the Turkish word "yiğit," which means "brave," "courageous," or "valiant." This name has been used in the region encompassing modern-day Turkey, as well as parts of Central Asia, for centuries.
The earliest known record of the name Yigit dates back to the 11th century, during the Seljuk Empire era. It was commonly given to sons born into noble or warrior families, as a way to instill the virtues of bravery and valor in them from a young age.
In the 13th century, the name Yigit gained further prominence when it was mentioned in the famous epic poem "Dede Korkut," which celebrated the heroic deeds of the Oghuz Turks. The poem featured a character named Yigit Gazi, who was portrayed as a fearless warrior and leader.
One of the most notable figures in history to bear the name Yigit was Yigit Pasha (1516-1578), a prominent Ottoman statesman and military commander. He served as the Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire during the reign of Sultan Murad III and played a crucial role in the expansion and governance of the empire.
Another influential figure was Yigit Ali Pasha (1719-1785), an Ottoman military leader and statesman who served as the Grand Vizier from 1768 to 1771. He is renowned for his decisive leadership during the Russo-Turkish War of 1768-1774.
In the 19th century, Yigit Muhtar Pasha (1834-1884) was a prominent Ottoman statesman and reformer. He played a pivotal role in the modernization efforts of the Ottoman Empire, known as the Tanzimat period.
Yigit Akin (1923-2011) was a renowned Turkish actor and filmmaker who made significant contributions to the Turkish cinema industry throughout his career, which spanned over six decades.
Yigit Aksu (born 1984) is a contemporary Turkish businessman and entrepreneur. He is the founder and CEO of Yigit Ventures, a successful investment firm based in Istanbul.
Throughout history, the name Yigit has been associated with qualities of courage, strength, and leadership, reflecting the cultural values and ideals of the Turkish and Central Asian societies from which it originated.
People
Yigit + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Yigit as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with Y
Other first names starting with Y with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Yigit: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Yigit?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 69 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Yigit 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 4,967,454 US residents.
Is Yigit a common name?
We classify Yigit as "Very Rare". It ranks above 59.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 70 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Yigit most popular?
The single biggest year for Yigit was 2015, when 9 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Yigit is about 13 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
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 Yigit in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Yigit a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Yigit 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 Yigit still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Yigit 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 Yigit 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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people are named Yigit?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.