Firman
Of Arabic origin, representing a command, decree or ordinance.
Name Census estimates that about 63 living Americans carry the first name Firman. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Firman today is around 46 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Firman births was 1927 (11 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Firman. 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 Firman. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
63
~ 1 in 5,440,545 Americans
Peak year
1927
11 babies that year
Average age
46
years old
2015 SSA rank
#12,684
Tracked since 1880
Census
Firman in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 220 people with the first name Firman, which placed it at #36,203 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
#36,203
National first-name rank
People counted
220
220 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
82.7% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Firman
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Firman is White at 82.7%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (8.6%) and Hispanic (3.6%). 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 Firman 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 Firman at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White82.7% · 182
- Asian and Pacific Islander8.6% · 19
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 8
- Black or African American2.7% · 6
- Two or more races1.8% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 1
Popularity
Firman: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Firman from the 1880s through to the 2010s, spanning 10 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1910s, with 55 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1910s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Firman 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 Firman during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Firmans live
Origin
Meaning and history of Firman
The name Firman is derived from the Persian language and has its roots in ancient Persia. It is believed to have originated during the reign of the Sassanid Empire, which ruled over present-day Iran and parts of the Middle East from the 3rd to 7th centuries AD.
Firman is derived from the Persian word "farman," which means "decree" or "order." In ancient Persian culture, a firman was a royal decree or edict issued by the king or ruler. The name Firman may have been given to individuals who held official positions or were responsible for carrying out or delivering such decrees.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Firman can be found in the Persian epic poem "Shahnameh" (Book of Kings), written by the renowned poet Ferdowsi in the late 10th century AD. The poem mentions a character named Firman, although details about their significance are scarce.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Firman. One such person was Firman ibn Firman, a Persian philosopher and mathematician who lived in the 9th century AD. He made significant contributions to the field of mathematics and authored several treatises on the subject.
Another prominent figure with the name Firman was Firman Bey, an Ottoman statesman and diplomat who lived in the 16th century. He served as the governor of various provinces within the Ottoman Empire and played a crucial role in diplomatic negotiations with neighboring states.
In the realm of literature, Firman Farmayan was an Iranian-American author and scholar who lived from 1927 to 1997. He wrote extensively about Persian culture and history, and his works helped to bridge the gap between Eastern and Western perspectives.
Firman Khan, born in 1713 and died in 1781, was a renowned military leader and statesman in the Maratha Empire of India. He served as the Peshwa (prime minister) and played a pivotal role in expanding the empire's territories and consolidating its power.
Lastly, Firman Yagci, born in 1928, was a Turkish artist and painter known for his vibrant and expressive works. His paintings captured the essence of Turkish culture and traditions, and he received numerous accolades for his contributions to the arts.
These are just a few examples of individuals throughout history who have borne the name Firman, each leaving their mark in various fields and contributing to the rich tapestry of cultural heritage.
People
Firman + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Firman 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
Firman: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Firman?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 63 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Firman 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 Firman a common name?
We classify Firman 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, 193 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Firman most popular?
The single biggest year for Firman was 1927, when 11 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Firman is about 46 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Firman in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 220 people with the name Firman, or 0.07 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #36,203 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 Firman 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 Firman?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Firman appears almost entirely male. Of the 221 people counted with this name, 100.0% were male and only a very small share were female. 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 Firman?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Firman is White at 82.7%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (8.6%) and Hispanic (3.6%). 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 Firman most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Firman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.7% (182 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 Firman in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Firman a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Firman 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 Firman still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Firman 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 Firman 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 Firman?
Want to know how many Americans are named Firman? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.