Can
A Turkish masculine name meaning "life" or "soul."
Name Census estimates that about 535 living Americans carry the first name Can. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Can today is around 18 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Can births was 2018 (30 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Can. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Can with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
535
~ 1 in 640,662 Americans
Peak year
2018
30 babies that year
Average age
18
years old
2024 SSA rank
#4,324
Tracked since 1970
Census
Can in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 2,410 people with the first name Can, which placed it at #6,611 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#6,611
National first-name rank
People counted
2.4K
2,410 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.8
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Asian and Pacific Islander
64.8% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Can
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Can is Asian/Pacific Islander at 64.8%. The next largest groups are White (30.3%) and Black (2.0%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Can described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Can at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander64.8% · 1,562
- White30.3% · 731
- Black or African American2.0% · 49
- Hispanic or Latino1.5% · 35
- Two or more races1.2% · 28
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 5
Popularity
Can: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Can from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 203 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Can remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Can 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 Can during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Cans live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. California, Florida, New York recorded the most babies named Can, while New York, Florida, California recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 31 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Can
The name Can is a masculine given name with its origins rooted in the Turkish and Persian languages. It is derived from the ancient Persian word "Khan," which means "king" or "sovereign." The name's earliest recorded use dates back to the 6th century, during the reign of the Sasanian Empire in ancient Persia.
In Turkish, the name Can is often associated with concepts of life, vitality, and the soul. It is believed to have been influenced by the Persian word "Jan," which means "life" or "soul." This connection has contributed to the name's popularity and significance in Turkish culture.
One of the earliest and most notable historical figures bearing the name Can was Can Demir, a renowned Turkish warrior who lived in the 13th century. He played a crucial role in the expansion of the Seljuk Empire and was celebrated for his bravery and military prowess.
Another influential figure was Can Yücel, a prominent Turkish poet and writer born in 1926. He made significant contributions to Turkish literature and was known for his powerful and thought-provoking works that explored themes of social justice and human rights.
In the realm of sports, Can Bartu, a Turkish basketball player born in 1988, gained recognition for his exceptional skills and achievements on the court. He represented the Turkish national team and played for several professional clubs throughout his career.
Moving to the world of film and television, Can Evrenol is a Turkish film director and screenwriter born in 1975. He is best known for his critically acclaimed horror films that blend elements of Turkish folklore and cultural traditions with contemporary storytelling techniques.
Lastly, Can Öncü, born in 2003, is a rising star in the world of motorsports. At a young age, he has already made a name for himself as a talented Turkish motorcycle racer, competing in various international competitions and showcasing his skills on the track.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals who have carried the name Can throughout history, each leaving their mark in their respective fields and contributing to the cultural significance and legacy of this name.
People
Can + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Can as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with C
Other first names starting with C with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Can: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Can?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 535 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Can 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 640,662 US residents.
Is Can a common name?
We classify Can as "Very Rare". It ranks above 85.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 543 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Can most popular?
The single biggest year for Can was 2018, when 30 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Can is about 18 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Can in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 2,410 people with the name Can, or 0.80 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #6,611 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Can in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Can?
The 2020 Census sex table shows Can on both sides of the split. Of the 2,408 people counted with this name, 1,837 were male (76.3%) and 571 were female (23.7%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Can?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Can is Asian/Pacific Islander at 64.8%. The next largest groups are White (30.3%) and Black (2.0%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Can most often in the Census?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest reported group for people named Can in the 2020 Census, accounting for 64.8% (1,562 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
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 Can in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Can a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Can 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 Can still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Can 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 Can 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.
How many people are named Can?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.