Anwan
A name with Arabic roots, possibly meaning "gift" or "assistance".
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Anwan. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Anwan today is around 33 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Anwan births was 1992 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Anwan. 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 Anwan. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
1992
5 babies that year
Average age
33
years old
1992 SSA rank
#8,507
Tracked since 1992
Popularity
Anwan: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Anwan 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 Anwan during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Anwan
The name Anwan is believed to have originated from the Arabic language, with its roots tracing back to the Middle Ages. The name is derived from the Arabic word "anwar," which means "radiant" or "luminous." It is a masculine name that has been in use for centuries across various regions of the Middle East and North Africa.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Anwan can be found in the historical records of the Umayyad Caliphate, which ruled a significant portion of the Middle East and North Africa from the 7th to the 8th century. During this period, the name was borne by several notable figures, including Anwan ibn Malik, a respected scholar and poet who lived in the 7th century.
In the 10th century, the name gained further prominence with the birth of Anwan al-Qalqashandi, an Egyptian writer and scholar who made significant contributions to the fields of literature and history. His work, "Subh al-A'sha," a comprehensive treatise on the art of government and administration, remains an important historical document to this day.
The name Anwan has also been associated with Islamic mysticism and spirituality. One of the most renowned figures bearing this name is Anwan al-Sufi, a Persian mystic and poet who lived in the 10th century. His works, which explored the depths of the human soul and its relationship with the divine, have been widely celebrated and studied by scholars and spiritual seekers alike.
In the realm of Islamic science and philosophy, the name Anwan is closely linked to Anwan ibn al-Nafis, a Syrian physician and polymath who lived in the 13th century. He is best known for his groundbreaking work in the field of medicine, particularly his discovery of the pulmonary circulation system, which predated the findings of the European scientists by several centuries.
Another notable figure bearing the name Anwan is Anwan al-Makki, a 10th-century Persian scholar and Sufi mystic. He was renowned for his spiritual teachings and his contributions to the understanding of Islamic mysticism, which influenced generations of scholars and spiritual seekers after him.
These are just a few examples of the many individuals throughout history who have borne the name Anwan, each leaving their mark on various fields of human endeavor, from literature and poetry to science, philosophy, and spirituality.
People
Anwan + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Anwan 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
Anwan: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Anwan?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Anwan 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 68,550,868 US residents.
Is Anwan a common name?
We classify Anwan as "Very Rare". It ranks above 18.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Anwan most popular?
The single biggest year for Anwan was 1992, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Anwan is about 33 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 Anwan in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Anwan a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Anwan 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 Anwan still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Anwan 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 Anwan 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 Anwan?
Find out how many people share the name Anwan on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.