Arshawn
A masculine name of Iranian origin meaning "lion" or "brave".
Name Census estimates that about 112 living Americans carry the first name Arshawn. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Arshawn today is around 17 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Arshawn births was 2007 (12 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Arshawn. 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
112
~ 1 in 3,060,307 Americans
Peak year
2007
12 babies that year
Average age
17
years old
2020 SSA rank
#12,179
Tracked since 1997
Popularity
Arshawn: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Arshawn from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 51 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Arshawn 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 Arshawn 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 Arshawn
The name Arshawn has its origins in the Arabic language and culture, dating back to the early Islamic period. It is derived from the Arabic word "Arshad," which means "rightly guided" or "guided on the right path." The name is closely associated with the concept of seeking guidance and wisdom in one's life.
In the early days of Islam, the name Arshawn was often given to children as a way of expressing the parents' desire for their offspring to be guided by the teachings of the Quran and the principles of the Islamic faith. It was seen as a name that carried a spiritual and moral significance, reflecting the importance of seeking knowledge and following the righteous path.
While there are no definitive historical records of the name Arshawn appearing in ancient texts or religious scriptures, it is believed to have been in use among Arabic-speaking communities since the 7th century CE, during the early spread of Islam across the Middle East and North Africa.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Arshawn can be found in the writings of the 9th century Islamic scholar and historian, Al-Tabari. In his work, "The History of Prophets and Kings," he mentions an individual named Arshawn ibn Abd al-Malik, who lived during the Umayyad Caliphate (661-750 CE).
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Arshawn, including:
1. Arshawn al-Baghdadi (1077-1166 CE), a renowned Islamic scholar and jurist from Baghdad, renowned for his contributions to the field of Islamic jurisprudence.
2. Arshawn al-Dimashqi (1201-1288 CE), a Syrian poet and philosopher who wrote extensively on the subjects of love, spirituality, and the human condition.
3. Arshawn al-Andalusi (1235-1310 CE), a mathematician and astronomer from the Iberian Peninsula, known for his work on the development of the astrolabe and his treatises on celestial mechanics.
4. Arshawn al-Ghazali (1456-1517 CE), a Sufi mystic and scholar from modern-day Iran, celebrated for his writings on Islamic mysticism and the spiritual path.
5. Arshawn al-Khwarizmi (1170-1247 CE), a Persian mathematician and astronomer, best known for his contributions to the development of algebra and the introduction of the Arabic numerals to the Western world.
While the name Arshawn has its roots in the Arabic language and Islamic culture, it has gained popularity in various parts of the world, transcending cultural and linguistic boundaries. The name continues to be used today, carrying with it the timeless message of seeking guidance, wisdom, and enlightenment in one's life journey.
People
Arshawn + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Arshawn 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
Arshawn: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Arshawn?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 112 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Arshawn 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 3,060,307 US residents.
Is Arshawn a common name?
We classify Arshawn as "Very Rare". It ranks above 66.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 113 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Arshawn most popular?
The single biggest year for Arshawn was 2007, when 12 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Arshawn is about 17 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 Arshawn in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Arshawn a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Arshawn 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 Arshawn still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Arshawn 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 Arshawn 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 Arshawn as a first name?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.