Aztlan
The mythical homeland of the Aztec people in the Southwest.
Name Census estimates that about 127 living Americans carry the first name Aztlan. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Aztlan today is around 13 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Aztlan births was 2018 (13 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Aztlan. 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
127
~ 1 in 2,698,853 Americans
Peak year
2018
13 babies that year
Average age
13
years old
2024 SSA rank
#11,062
Tracked since 2001
Popularity
Aztlan: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Aztlan from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 49 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2000s peak, Aztlan remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Aztlan 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 Aztlan during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Aztlans live
Origin
Meaning and history of Aztlan
The name Aztlan originates from the Nahuatl language, spoken by the Aztec people of Mexico. It is believed to have emerged around the 13th century CE, during the height of the Aztec civilization in Mesoamerica.
Aztlan is often associated with the mythical homeland or place of origin of the Aztec people, as described in their creation stories and legends. The exact meaning of the word is debated, but it is commonly interpreted as "place of white herons" or "place in the middle of the waters."
One of the earliest known references to Aztlan can be found in the Codex Aubin, a 16th-century Aztec codex that recounts the migration of the Aztec people from their mythical homeland to the Valley of Mexico, where they eventually established their capital, Tenochtitlan.
In Aztec mythology, Aztlan is often depicted as a paradisiacal island or region surrounded by water, from which the Aztec people began their long journey to find their destined home. The name may have been derived from the Nahuatl words "atl" (water) and "tlan" (place of), suggesting a place amidst or surrounded by water.
While there are no definitive historical records of individuals named Aztlan from ancient times, the name has been adopted by various figures throughout history, often in reference to the mythical homeland or as a symbol of Aztec cultural identity.
One notable individual with the name Aztlan was Aztlan Cuauhtémoc, a Mexica (Aztec) leader and warrior who lived in the late 15th century. He played a significant role in the defense of Tenochtitlan against the Spanish conquistadors led by Hernán Cortés.
Another figure was Aztlan Xicotencatl, a Tlaxcaltec leader and military strategist who allied with the Spanish against the Aztec Empire in the early 16th century. His name, which incorporates the word Aztlan, may have been a symbolic reference to the Aztec homeland.
In more recent times, the name Aztlan has been used by various individuals and organizations to celebrate and honor Aztec heritage and culture. For example, Aztlan was the name of a renowned Chicano civil rights and cultural organization active in the 1960s and 1970s, promoting the rights and identity of Mexican Americans.
Overall, the name Aztlan holds deep cultural and mythological significance within the Aztec tradition, representing the origins and journey of the Aztec people, as well as serving as a symbol of cultural pride and identity for generations to come.
People
Aztlan + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Aztlan 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
Aztlan: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Aztlan?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 127 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Aztlan 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 2,698,853 US residents.
Is Aztlan a common name?
We classify Aztlan as "Very Rare". It ranks above 68% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 128 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Aztlan most popular?
The single biggest year for Aztlan was 2018, when 13 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Aztlan is about 13 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 Aztlan in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Aztlan a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Aztlan 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 Aztlan still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Aztlan 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 Aztlan 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 Americans are named Aztlan?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.