Eithen
Of Celtic/Welsh origin, meaning "abundant" or "rich, plentiful".
Name Census estimates that about 178 living Americans carry the first name Eithen. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Eithen today is around 16 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Eithen births was 2008 (26 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Eithen. 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
178
~ 1 in 1,925,586 Americans
Peak year
2008
26 babies that year
Average age
16
years old
2023 SSA rank
#12,745
Tracked since 2001
Census
Eithen in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 183 people with the first name Eithen, which placed it at #40,598 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
#40,598
National first-name rank
People counted
183
183 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
57.9% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Eithen
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Eithen is White at 57.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (28.4%) and Black (4.9%). 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 Eithen 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 Eithen at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White57.9% · 106
- Hispanic or Latino28.4% · 52
- Black or African American4.9% · 9
- Two or more races4.9% · 9
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.3% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 1
Popularity
Eithen: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Eithen 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 98 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Eithen 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 Eithen during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Eithens live
Origin
Meaning and history of Eithen
The given name Eithen is of Welsh origin, derived from the Old Welsh word "eithin," meaning "furze" or "gorse," a type of spiny evergreen shrub native to the British Isles. This name emerged during the early medieval period in Wales, a nation with a rich cultural heritage and a longstanding tradition of using nature-inspired names.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Eithen can be found in the Welsh Triads, a collection of traditional narratives dating back to the 13th century. These triads often featured characters with names rooted in the natural world, reflecting the close connection between the Welsh people and their environment.
Throughout history, the name Eithen has been borne by several notable figures. One such individual was Eithen ap Rhys (c. 1190-1260), a Welsh prince and military leader who played a significant role in the struggles against the Norman invasion of Wales during the 13th century. His bravery and leadership earned him a place in the annals of Welsh history.
Another prominent bearer of the name was Eithen Vaughan (1516-1589), a Welsh poet and historian who lived during the Tudor period. Vaughan was renowned for his poetic works celebrating Welsh culture and identity, as well as his historical writings that documented the rich heritage of his homeland.
In the realm of religion, Eithen ap Gwgan (c. 550-630) was a 7th-century Welsh saint and founder of several churches in the region of Denbighshire. His life and teachings were revered, and his name is still associated with various religious sites and traditions in Wales.
Moving forward in time, Eithen Jones (1765-1832) was a notable Welsh scholar and clergyman who made significant contributions to the study of Welsh language and literature. His works helped preserve and promote the cultural heritage of Wales during a period of rapid social and economic change.
Another individual who bore the name Eithen was Eithen Lewis (1892-1968), a Welsh artist and illustrator known for her vibrant depictions of Welsh landscapes and rural life. Her paintings captured the essence of her homeland and played a role in shaping the artistic identity of Wales in the 20th century.
These are just a few examples of the many individuals throughout history who have carried the name Eithen, a name deeply rooted in the cultural and natural heritage of Wales. While its usage may have ebbed and flowed over the centuries, the name Eithen remains a testament to the enduring connection between the Welsh people and their land.
People
Eithen + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Eithen as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with E
Other first names starting with E with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Eithen: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Eithen?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 178 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Eithen 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 1,925,586 US residents.
Is Eithen a common name?
We classify Eithen as "Very Rare". It ranks above 72.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 180 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Eithen most popular?
The single biggest year for Eithen was 2008, when 26 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Eithen is about 16 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Eithen in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 183 people with the name Eithen, or 0.06 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #40,598 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 Eithen 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 Eithen?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Eithen leans strongly male. 183 people counted with this name were male (97.9%), compared with 4 female bearers (2.1%). 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 Eithen?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Eithen is White at 57.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (28.4%) and Black (4.9%). 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 Eithen most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Eithen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 57.9% (106 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 Eithen in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Eithen a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Eithen 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 Eithen still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Eithen 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 Eithen 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 called Eithen?
You can see how many Americans are named Eithen on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.