Gequan
Of Chinese origin, meaning "noble and far-reaching."
Name Census estimates that about 10 living Americans carry the first name Gequan. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Gequan today is around 30 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Gequan births was 1995 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Gequan. 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 Gequan. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
10
~ 1 in 34,275,434 Americans
Peak year
1995
5 babies that year
Average age
30
years old
1996 SSA rank
#9,503
Tracked since 1995
Popularity
Gequan: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Gequan 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 Gequan during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 10 | 0 | 10 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Gequan
The name Gequan originates from Chinese culture and is believed to have its roots in the Han Dynasty (206 BC - 220 AD). It is a combination of two Chinese characters, "Ge" meaning "noble" and "Quan" meaning "whole" or "complete". Together, the name Gequan can be interpreted as "noble completeness" or "noble entirety".
The earliest known record of the name Gequan dates back to the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD), where it was documented as the name of a renowned scholar and poet. One of the most famous individuals bearing this name was Gequan Zhong, a prominent calligrapher and artist who lived during the Song Dynasty (960-1279 AD).
In the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 AD), there was a notable figure named Gequan Liu, who was a highly respected military strategist and advisor to the emperors of the time. His strategies were instrumental in several key victories during the dynasty's territorial expansions.
During the Qing Dynasty (1644-1912 AD), a man named Gequan Wang made significant contributions to the field of traditional Chinese medicine. His writings and teachings on herbal remedies and acupuncture techniques were widely studied and disseminated.
Another notable figure was Gequan Xu, a revolutionary leader who played a pivotal role in the Xinhai Revolution of 1911, which overthrew the Qing Dynasty and established the Republic of China.
In more recent history, there was a renowned artist and calligrapher named Gequan Zhu, who lived from 1892 to 1987. His works were celebrated for their fusion of traditional Chinese techniques with modern influences, and he was widely recognized as a master of his craft.
While the name Gequan is not as common in modern times, it continues to hold cultural significance and historical importance, particularly within Chinese communities around the world.
People
Gequan + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Gequan as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with G
Other first names starting with G with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Gequan: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Gequan?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 10 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Gequan 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 34,275,434 US residents.
Is Gequan a common name?
We classify Gequan as "Very Rare". It ranks above 28.5% 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 Gequan most popular?
The single biggest year for Gequan was 1995, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Gequan is about 30 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 Gequan in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Gequan a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Gequan 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 Gequan still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Gequan 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 Gequan 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 named Gequan?
Want to know how many Americans are named Gequan? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.