Feynman
An English masculine name referring to skilled and capable.
Name Census estimates that about 63 living Americans carry the first name Feynman. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Feynman today is around 10 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Feynman births was 2015 (20 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Feynman. 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 Feynman with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Feynman. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
63
~ 1 in 5,440,545 Americans
Peak year
2015
20 babies that year
Average age
10
years old
2020 SSA rank
#8,978
Tracked since 2014
Popularity
Feynman: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Feynman from the 2010s through to the 2020s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 55 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2010s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Feynman 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 Feynman during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Feynmans live
Origin
Meaning and history of Feynman
The given name Feynman is a relatively modern one, originating in the 20th century. It is derived from the surname of the renowned American theoretical physicist Richard Feynman (1918-1988), who made significant contributions to the fields of quantum mechanics and particle physics.
The surname Feynman itself is of Ashkenazi Jewish origin, with roots in the Yiddish language. It is believed to have originated from the German word "Fein," meaning "fine" or "delicate," possibly referring to a person's occupation or physical appearance.
While the name Feynman does not have a long historical tradition, it gained prominence due to the immense impact and legacy of Richard Feynman's work. He was a Nobel Prize laureate, known for his groundbreaking research, lectures, and popular science books that made complex scientific concepts accessible to the general public.
The earliest recorded examples of the given name Feynman date back to the late 20th century, after Richard Feynman's achievements and contributions to science had been widely recognized. Some notable individuals who have borne the first name Feynman include:
1. Feynman Liang, a Taiwanese singer and actor born in 1990.
2. Feynman Tsao, a Taiwanese YouTuber and content creator born in 1997.
3. Feynman Wong, a Hong Kong singer and actor born in 1997.
4. Feynman Koh, a Malaysian singer born in 1994.
5. Feynman Ng, a Malaysian mathematician and academic born in 1989.
While the name Feynman may not have a deep historical lineage, it has become a tribute to the remarkable life and work of Richard Feynman, whose brilliance and ability to communicate complex ideas have inspired generations of scientists and thinkers.
People
Feynman + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Feynman as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with F
Other first names starting with F with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Feynman: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Feynman?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 63 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Feynman 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 5,440,545 US residents.
Is Feynman a common name?
We classify Feynman as "Very Rare". It ranks above 57.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 63 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Feynman most popular?
The single biggest year for Feynman was 2015, when 20 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Feynman is about 10 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 Feynman in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Feynman a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Feynman 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 Feynman still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Feynman 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 Feynman 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 share the name Feynman?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.