Antawan
Meaning unknown; possibly derived from a Native American language.
Name Census estimates that about 190 living Americans carry the first name Antawan. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Antawan today is around 37 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Antawan births was 1982 (15 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Antawan. 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
190
~ 1 in 1,803,970 Americans
Peak year
1982
15 babies that year
Average age
37
years old
2010 SSA rank
#12,369
Tracked since 1973
Census
Antawan in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 165 people with the first name Antawan, which placed it at #43,061 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
#43,061
National first-name rank
People counted
165
165 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
88.5% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Antawan
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Antawan is Black at 88.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.8%) and White (3.6%). 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 Antawan 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 Antawan at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American88.5% · 146
- Two or more races4.8% · 8
- White3.6% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.8% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino0.6% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 1
Popularity
Antawan: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Antawan from the 1970s through to the 2010s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 55 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1990s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Antawan 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 Antawan during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Antawans live
Origin
Meaning and history of Antawan
The name Antawan has its origins in the Native American cultures of the northeastern United States and southeastern Canada. It is believed to have derived from the Algonquian languages spoken by various tribes in this region. The name is thought to be a combination of words or elements that signify "great" or "noble" and "warrior" or "fighter."
One of the earliest recorded references to the name can be found in accounts of French missionaries and explorers who interacted with Native American tribes in the 17th and 18th centuries. Some historians suggest that the name may have been inspired by a prominent figure, possibly a respected chief or warrior, from one of these tribes.
The first notable individual known to bear the name Antawan was a Mohawk leader and military strategist who played a significant role in the French and Indian War (1754-1763). He was born around 1720 and was instrumental in coordinating attacks against British settlements and military outposts. His expertise and leadership were recognized by both his own people and the French colonial forces.
Another historically significant figure named Antawan was a Lenape (Delaware) chief who lived in the late 18th century. He was known for his efforts to maintain peace between his tribe and the growing number of European settlers in the region. Despite facing immense pressure to cede land, he sought to preserve the traditional way of life and territories of his people.
In the early 19th century, an influential Potawatomi leader named Antawan emerged as a prominent figure in the Great Lakes region. He was a skilled negotiator and diplomat who worked to forge alliances between various Native American tribes and the young United States government. His diplomacy played a crucial role in maintaining stability during a period of rapid westward expansion.
During the American Civil War, a notable figure named Antawan served as a scout and interpreter for the Union Army. His knowledge of the terrain and ability to communicate with various tribes proved invaluable in several campaigns. He was recognized for his bravery and contributions to the Union cause.
In the late 19th century, a respected Navajo medicine man and spiritual leader named Antawan gained recognition for his role in preserving the traditional beliefs and practices of his people. He was highly regarded for his wisdom and his efforts to pass on the knowledge and values of his culture to subsequent generations.
While the name Antawan has its roots in Native American cultures, it has also been adopted by individuals from various backgrounds, each bringing their own unique stories and contributions to the rich tapestry of history associated with this name.
People
Antawan + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Antawan 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
Antawan: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Antawan?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 190 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Antawan 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 1,803,970 US residents.
Is Antawan a common name?
We classify Antawan as "Very Rare". It ranks above 73.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 198 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Antawan most popular?
The single biggest year for Antawan was 1982, when 15 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Antawan is about 37 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Antawan in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 165 people with the name Antawan, or 0.05 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #43,061 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 Antawan 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 Antawan?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Antawan leans strongly male. 159 people counted with this name were male (98.1%), compared with 3 female bearers (1.9%). 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 Antawan?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Antawan is Black at 88.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.8%) and White (3.6%). 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 Antawan most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Antawan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.5% (146 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 Antawan in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Antawan a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Antawan 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 Antawan still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Antawan 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 Antawan 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 Americans are named Antawan?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.