Creon
A Greek name meaning "ruler" or "leader", derived from the word "kratos" meaning strength.
Name Census estimates that about 9 living Americans carry the first name Creon. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Creon today is around 47 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Creon births was 1972 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Creon. 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 Creon. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
9
~ 1 in 38,083,815 Americans
Peak year
1972
5 babies that year
Average age
47
years old
1990 SSA rank
#8,361
Tracked since 1972
Popularity
Creon: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Creon from the 1970s through to the 1990s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 5 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
Creon 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 Creon during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Creons live
Origin
Meaning and history of Creon
The name Creon has its origins in ancient Greek mythology and literature. It is derived from the Greek word "kreon", meaning "ruler" or "leader". The name first appeared in the ancient Greek tragedies of Sophocles and Euripides, where it was borne by the tragic ruler of Thebes.
In Sophocles' play "Antigone", Creon is the antagonist who decrees that the body of Polynices, Antigone's brother, should not be buried. This leads to a conflict with Antigone, who defies Creon's order and is sentenced to death for her act of civil disobedience. Creon's inflexibility and pride ultimately lead to the downfall of his family and the loss of his son and wife.
The name Creon also appears in other Greek mythological tales, such as the story of Oedipus Rex. In this narrative, Creon is the brother of Jocasta and uncle of Oedipus, who becomes the ruler of Thebes after the downfall of Oedipus.
One of the earliest recorded historical figures named Creon was a Macedonian general who lived in the 4th century BC and served under Alexander the Great. He played a significant role in Alexander's conquest of the Persian Empire.
In later centuries, the name Creon was used sporadically throughout Europe. One notable bearer was Creon of Strasbourg (c. 1260–1324), a German scholar and theologian who wrote extensively on the Bible and Christian theology.
During the Renaissance, the name Creon gained some popularity among literary and artistic circles due to its association with classical Greek culture. One example is Creon Palaeologus (1503–1551), a Greek scholar and philosopher who taught at the University of Padua.
Another notable figure with the name Creon was Creon Metaxas (1869–1927), a Greek military officer and politician who served as the Prime Minister of Greece from 1936 to 1941.
Despite its historical and literary significance, the name Creon has remained relatively uncommon in modern times, perhaps due to its association with the tragic figure in ancient Greek drama.
People
Creon + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Creon 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
Creon: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Creon?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 9 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Creon 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 38,083,815 US residents.
Is Creon a common name?
We classify Creon as "Very Rare". It ranks above 25.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 10 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Creon most popular?
The single biggest year for Creon was 1972, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Creon is about 47 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 Creon in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Creon a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Creon 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 Creon still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Creon 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 Creon 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 are called Creon?
You can see how many people share the name Creon on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.