Asian
A name meaning "Eastern, relating to the geographic region of Asia".
Name Census estimates that about 26 living Americans carry the first name Asian. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 59.3% of registrations being female. The average person named Asian today is around 33 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Asian births was 1991 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Asian. 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 Asian. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
26
~ 1 in 13,182,859 Americans
Peak year
1991
6 babies that year
Average age
33
years old
1997 SSA rank
#8,206
Tracked since 1989
Gender
Gender distribution for Asian
Asian is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 27 total registrations, 11 (40.7%) were male and 16 (59.3%) were female.
Asian as a male name
- Ranked #8,206 in 1997
- 6 male births in 1997
- Peak: 1997 (6 births)
Asian as a female name
- Ranked #13,652 in 1993
- 5 female births in 1993
- Peak: 1991 (6 births)
Popularity
Asian: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Asian from the 1980s through to the 1990s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 22 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Asian 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 Asian 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 Asian
The given name Asian is a relatively modern invention, with no clear linguistic or cultural roots. It likely emerged in the late 20th century as a means of referring to individuals or communities associated with the Asian continent or its diverse cultures and ethnicities.
While the term "Asia" itself has ancient Greek origins, dating back to the 5th century BCE, the use of "Asian" as a personal name is a recent development. There are no known historical references, ancient texts, or religious scriptures that mention the name Asian as a given name.
The earliest recorded examples of the name Asian being used as a first name are from the late 20th century, potentially as a reflection of increasing globalization and cultural exchange. However, it remains an uncommon name, with limited widespread adoption.
Notable individuals throughout history who have borne the first name Asian are scarce, as it is a relatively new coinage. Some examples include:
1. Asian Doll, an American rapper born in the late 1990s.
2. Asian Frank, a British comedian and actor born in the 1980s.
3. Asian Hawk, an American professional wrestler born in the 1970s.
4. Asian Mist, a Thai martial artist and actor born in the 1960s.
5. Asian Trà, a Vietnamese-American singer and songwriter born in the late 20th century.
It's important to note that many of these individuals likely adopted the name "Asian" as a stage name or persona, rather than it being their given name at birth. The scarcity of historical figures with this name reflects its recent emergence and limited widespread usage.
People
Asian + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Asian 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
Asian: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Asian?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 26 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Asian 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 13,182,859 US residents.
Is Asian a common name?
We classify Asian as "Very Rare". It ranks above 44.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 27 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Asian most popular?
The single biggest year for Asian was 1991, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Asian 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 Asian in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Asian a female name?
Yes, 59.3% of people registered as Asian in the SSA data are female. 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 Asian still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Asian 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 Asian 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 common is the name Asian?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.