Audun
A masculine Scandinavian name of uncertain origin, possibly meaning "prosperous friend".
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Audun. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Audun today is around 7 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Audun births was 2019 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Audun. 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 Audun. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
2019
5 babies that year
Average age
7
years old
2019 SSA rank
#12,323
Tracked since 2019
Popularity
Audun: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Audun 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 Audun during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Audun
The name Audun is of Old Norse origin and dates back to the Viking Age. It is derived from the Old Norse name Auðun, which is a combination of the words "auðr" meaning "wealth" or "prosperity" and "un" meaning "to grant" or "to desire". The name can be interpreted to mean "prosperous friend" or "wealthy protector".
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Audun can be found in the Icelandic Landnámabók, a medieval text detailing the settlement of Iceland by Norse explorers in the 9th and 10th centuries. The text mentions an Audun Skokull, who was among the first settlers in Iceland.
In the Faroe Islands, the name Audun has a long history and has been used since the Viking Age. The Faroese Saga of Gøtu-Ræva, written in the 13th century, mentions an Audun who lived in the 11th century and was known for his bravery and strength.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals named Audun. One of the most famous was Audun Hugleiksson (c. 1240-1302), a powerful Norwegian nobleman and chieftain who played a significant role in the Norwegian civil wars of the 13th century.
Another prominent figure was Audun Simonsson (c. 1516-1575), a Norwegian bishop and scholar who played a crucial role in the Reformation in Norway. He was instrumental in translating the Bible into the Norwegian language.
In the realm of literature, Audun Pedersson Hustaviken (1592-1678) was a Norwegian poet and clergyman who is considered one of the pioneers of Norwegian poetry. His works, including religious hymns and poems, were widely popular in his time.
Moving to more recent history, Audun Boysen (1849-1935) was a Norwegian merchant and explorer who led several expeditions to the Arctic regions and made significant contributions to the mapping and exploration of the area.
Lastly, Audun Eckhoff (1927-2006) was a prominent Norwegian jurist and legal scholar. He served as a judge on the European Court of Human Rights and was widely respected for his work in the field of human rights law.
While the name Audun has its roots in Old Norse and Scandinavian cultures, it has also been adopted in other parts of the world, particularly in areas with historical Norse influence or migration.
People
Audun + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Audun 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
Audun: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Audun?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Audun 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 Audun a common name?
We classify Audun 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 Audun most popular?
The single biggest year for Audun was 2019, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Audun is about 7 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 Audun in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Audun a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Audun 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 Audun still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Audun 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 Audun 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 share the name Audun?
Want to know how many people share the name Audun? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.