Decan
A name derived from the Latin term "decanus," meaning a leader or chief.
Name Census estimates that about 6 living Americans carry the first name Decan. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Decan today is around 20 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Decan births was 2006 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Decan. 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 Decan. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
6
~ 1 in 57,125,723 Americans
Peak year
2006
6 babies that year
Average age
20
years old
2006 SSA rank
#10,982
Tracked since 2006
Popularity
Decan: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Decan 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 Decan during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 6 | 0 | 6 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Decan
The name Decan originates from the Latin word "decanus," which means "leader of ten." This name has its roots in the Roman military, where a decanus was a non-commissioned officer in charge of a group of ten soldiers. The name can be traced back to ancient Roman times, around the 1st century BC.
In the early days of Christianity, the term "decan" was used to refer to a minor official in the church hierarchy, responsible for overseeing a group of ten individuals. This usage of the word can be found in some early Christian texts and records from the 3rd and 4th centuries AD.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Decan was Saint Decan, a 6th-century Irish monk and missionary. He is believed to have been born around 520 AD and is venerated as the patron saint of horses and horse breeders in parts of Ireland.
In the 11th century, a French nobleman named Decan de Marigny was a prominent figure in the court of King Philip I of France. He served as a royal advisor and accompanied the king on various military campaigns.
During the Renaissance period, an Italian artist named Decan Galeazzo was known for his exquisite frescoes and paintings. He was born in 1476 in Florence and worked for several wealthy patrons, including members of the Medici family.
In the 18th century, Decan Beaumont was a French philosopher and writer who was influential in the Enlightenment movement. He was born in 1711 and is best known for his work on ethics and moral philosophy.
Another notable figure with the name Decan was Decan Maximilian von Alvensleben, a Prussian military officer and statesman who lived from 1785 to 1858. He played a significant role in the Napoleonic Wars and later served as the Prussian Minister of Finance.
While the name Decan has its roots in Latin and was more commonly used in ancient times, it has maintained a presence throughout history, particularly in Europe, and has been borne by individuals from various walks of life, including religious figures, noblemen, artists, philosophers, and military leaders.
People
Decan + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Decan as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with D
Other first names starting with D with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Decan: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Decan?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 6 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Decan 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 57,125,723 US residents.
Is Decan a common name?
We classify Decan as "Very Rare". It ranks above 22.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 6 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Decan most popular?
The single biggest year for Decan was 2006, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Decan is about 20 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 Decan in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Decan a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Decan 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 Decan still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Decan 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 Decan 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 Decan?
You can see how many people share the name Decan on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.