Bogdan
Given name of Slavic origin meaning "gifted by God".
Name Census estimates that about 728 living Americans carry the first name Bogdan. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Bogdan today is around 18 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Bogdan births was 2024 (37 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Bogdan. 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
728
~ 1 in 470,816 Americans
Peak year
2024
37 babies that year
Average age
18
years old
2024 SSA rank
#3,215
Tracked since 1954
Popularity
Bogdan: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Bogdan from the 1950s through to the 2020s, spanning 8 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 248 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Bogdan remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Bogdan 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 Bogdan during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Bogdans live
The SSA's state-level files cover 6 states and territories. Illinois, California, Florida recorded the most babies named Bogdan, while Oregon, New York, Washington recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 19 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Bogdan
The given name Bogdan has its roots in the Slavic languages, originating from the compound word "Bog" meaning "God" and "dan" meaning "given". It is believed to have emerged as a personal name in the early medieval period among Slavic communities, particularly in regions that encompassed modern-day Eastern Europe.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Bogdan can be traced back to the 10th century, where it appeared in various historical documents from the Kievan Rus', a medieval East Slavic state. The name gained particular prominence in the 14th century with the rise of the Principality of Moldavia, a historical Romanian principality located in present-day Romania and Moldova.
One of the most notable historical figures bearing the name Bogdan was Bogdan I of Moldavia, also known as Bogdan the Founder (c. 1359-1365). He was a Romanian voivode (ruler) who established the Principality of Moldavia and is celebrated as a founding figure in Romanian history.
Another prominent individual with this name was Bogdan Khmelnitsky (c. 1595-1657), a Hetman (leader) of the Zaporozhian Cossacks who led a successful uprising against Polish-Lithuanian rule in modern-day Ukraine. His rebellion played a significant role in the establishment of the Cossack Hetmanate, a semi-autonomous Cossack state in the mid-17th century.
In the realm of literature, Bogdan Petriceicu Hasdeu (1838-1907) was a prominent Romanian scholar, philosopher, and writer who made significant contributions to various fields, including linguistics, history, and folklore.
The name Bogdan also found its way into religious contexts, with one notable bearer being Bogdan Iacovenco (1786-1844), a Romanian Orthodox bishop and Metropolitan of Moldavia and Suceava.
Another historical figure of note was Bogdan Zylynskyj (1909-1976), a Ukrainian-Canadian painter and sculptor who played a significant role in the development of modern art in Canada during the mid-20th century.
Over the centuries, the name Bogdan has maintained its presence across various Slavic and Eastern European cultures, often carrying connotations of divine origin and reverence for religious or spiritual beliefs.
People
Bogdan + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Bogdan as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with B
Other first names starting with B with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Bogdan: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Bogdan?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 728 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Bogdan 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 470,816 US residents.
Is Bogdan a common name?
We classify Bogdan as "Very Rare". It ranks above 87.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 744 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Bogdan most popular?
The single biggest year for Bogdan was 2024, when 37 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Bogdan is about 18 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Bogdan a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Bogdan 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.
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.