Arshan
A masculine name of Persian origin meaning "lion".
Name Census estimates that about 401 living Americans carry the first name Arshan. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Arshan today is around 10 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Arshan births was 2018 (30 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Arshan. 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 Arshan with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
401
~ 1 in 854,749 Americans
Peak year
2018
30 babies that year
Average age
10
years old
2024 SSA rank
#3,981
Tracked since 2002
Census
Arshan in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 327 people with the first name Arshan, which placed it at #27,781 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
#27,781
National first-name rank
People counted
327
327 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Asian and Pacific Islander
50.5% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Arshan
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Arshan is Asian/Pacific Islander at 50.5%. The next largest groups are White (38.2%) and Two or More Races (6.1%). 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 Arshan 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 Arshan at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander50.5% · 165
- White38.2% · 125
- Two or more races6.1% · 20
- Black or African American3.1% · 10
- Hispanic or Latino2.1% · 7
Popularity
Arshan: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Arshan 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 210 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Arshan remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Arshan 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 Arshan during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Arshans live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. California, New York, Texas recorded the most babies named Arshan, while Texas, New York, California recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 46 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Arshan
The name Arshan is believed to have its origins in the Sanskrit language, which was the ancient and classical language of India. It is thought to be derived from the Sanskrit word "arshana," which means "rising sun" or "rising star." This suggests that the name may have been given to individuals with a bright and promising future or those born during the early hours of the morning.
The earliest recorded use of the name Arshan dates back to ancient Hindu texts and scriptures, where it was often used as a symbolic representation of hope, renewal, and new beginnings. In the Vedas, which are the oldest sacred texts in Hinduism, there are references to the concept of "arshana," symbolizing the dawning of a new day and the promise of enlightenment.
One of the earliest historical figures to bear the name Arshan was Arshan Kavir, a renowned Indian poet and scholar who lived in the 12th century CE. Kavir was known for his beautiful and thought-provoking poetry, which explored themes of love, spirituality, and the human condition. His works have been preserved and studied by scholars for centuries.
Another notable figure with the name Arshan was Arshan Singh, a Sikh warrior and military leader who lived in the 17th century. Singh played a significant role in the defense of the Sikh faith against the Mughal Empire, and his bravery and leadership were celebrated in Sikh folklore and historical accounts.
In the realm of literature, Arshan Farhadi was a celebrated Persian poet and writer who lived in the 19th century. Farhadi's poetry was known for its lyrical beauty and profound insights into the human experience, and his works continue to be widely studied and appreciated in the Persian-speaking world.
Arshan Narain was an Indian mathematician and astronomer who lived in the 18th century. Narain made significant contributions to the field of celestial mechanics and was renowned for his accurate calculations and predictions of celestial events, such as eclipses and planetary movements.
Finally, Arshan Akbar was a Turkish statesman and diplomat who lived in the 16th century. Akbar served as the Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire and played a crucial role in the empire's diplomatic relations with neighboring countries. His skills as a negotiator and his ability to maintain peace and stability were highly regarded during his time.
People
Arshan + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Arshan 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
Arshan: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Arshan?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 401 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Arshan 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 854,749 US residents.
Is Arshan a common name?
We classify Arshan as "Very Rare". It ranks above 82.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 404 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Arshan most popular?
The single biggest year for Arshan was 2018, when 30 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Arshan is about 10 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Arshan in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 327 people with the name Arshan, or 0.11 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #27,781 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 Arshan 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 Arshan?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Arshan leans strongly male. 328 people counted with this name were male (97.9%), compared with 7 female bearers (2.1%). 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 Arshan?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Arshan is Asian/Pacific Islander at 50.5%. The next largest groups are White (38.2%) and Two or More Races (6.1%). 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 Arshan most often in the Census?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest reported group for people named Arshan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 50.5% (165 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 Arshan in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Arshan a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Arshan 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 Arshan still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Arshan 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 Arshan 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 have Arshan as a first name?
If you just want to know how many Americans are named Arshan, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.