Abyan
A feminine Arabic name meaning "precious, radiant, or beautiful".
Name Census estimates that about 170 living Americans carry the first name Abyan. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 75.0% of registrations being male. The average person named Abyan today is around 14 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Abyan births was 2011 (23 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Abyan. 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 Abyan with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
170
~ 1 in 2,016,202 Americans
Peak year
2011
23 babies that year
Average age
14
years old
2019 SSA rank
#10,816
Tracked since 2003
Gender
Gender distribution for Abyan
Abyan is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 172 total registrations, 129 (75.0%) were male and 43 (25.0%) were female.
Abyan as a male name
- Ranked #10,816 in 2019
- 6 male births in 2019
- Peak: 2011 (16 births)
Abyan as a female name
- Ranked #15,196 in 2023
- 5 female births in 2023
- Peak: 2017 (10 births)
Popularity
Abyan: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Abyan 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 126 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2010s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Abyan 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 Abyan during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Abyans live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. New York, Texas, Minnesota recorded the most babies named Abyan, while Minnesota, Texas, New York recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 9 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Abyan
The name Abyan is believed to have its origins in the Arabic language. It is derived from the Arabic word "abyan" which means "clear" or "evident." The name's roots can be traced back to the Middle East and the Arabian Peninsula, regions where the Arabic language has been spoken for centuries.
This name has a rich history and can be found in various ancient texts and historical records. One of the earliest documented references to the name Abyan appears in the Qur'an, the central religious text of Islam. It is mentioned as a descriptive term for something that is clear and evident.
In the 8th century, there were several notable scholars and poets who bore the name Abyan. One of them was Abyan ibn Saeed al-Basri, a renowned Sunni Islamic scholar and jurist who lived from 699 to 786 CE. He was known for his expertise in Hadith (the recorded sayings and actions of the Prophet Muhammad) and Islamic jurisprudence.
Another prominent figure with the name Abyan was Abyan ibn Muhammad al-Andalusi, a poet and scholar who lived in Andalusia (modern-day Spain) during the 10th century. He was renowned for his contributions to Arabic literature and poetry.
In the 12th century, there was Abyan ibn Khalid al-Qurtubi, a renowned Andalusian mathematician and astronomer. He made significant contributions to the study of spherical trigonometry and the calculation of planetary movements.
Fast forward to the 20th century, and we find Abyan Habib Ali al-Saqqaf, a Yemeni politician and diplomat who served as the Prime Minister of Yemen from 1976 to 1980. He played a crucial role in the unification of North and South Yemen in 1990.
Another notable figure with the name Abyan is Abyan Athab al-Mughaisi, a Yemeni writer and poet who has published several collections of poetry and novels. She is widely recognized for her contributions to contemporary Yemeni literature.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals throughout history who have borne the name Abyan. While the name has its roots in the Arabic language and culture, it has transcended geographical boundaries and has been embraced by various communities around the world.
People
Abyan + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Abyan as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with A
Other first names starting with A with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Abyan: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Abyan?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 170 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Abyan 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 2,016,202 US residents.
Is Abyan a common name?
We classify Abyan as "Very Rare". It ranks above 72% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 172 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Abyan most popular?
The single biggest year for Abyan was 2011, when 23 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Abyan is about 14 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 Abyan in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Abyan a male name?
Yes, 75.0% of people registered as Abyan 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 Abyan still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Abyan 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 Abyan 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 have the name Abyan?
If you just want to know how many people share the name Abyan, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.