Given
A present or a gift bestowed to the recipient as intended.
Name Census estimates that about 108 living Americans carry the first name Given. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 79.8% of registrations being male. The average person named Given today is around 11 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Given births was 2018 (22 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Given. 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 Given with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
108
~ 1 in 3,173,651 Americans
Peak year
2018
22 babies that year
Average age
11
years old
2022 SSA rank
#11,335
Tracked since 1925
Census
Given in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 213 people with the first name Given, which placed it at #36,939 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
#36,939
National first-name rank
People counted
213
213 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
44.6% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Given
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Given is White at 44.6%. The next largest groups are Black (26.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (14.6%). 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 Given 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 Given at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White44.6% · 95
- Black or African American26.8% · 57
- Asian and Pacific Islander14.6% · 31
- Hispanic or Latino8.9% · 19
- Two or more races5.2% · 11
Gender
Gender distribution for Given
Given is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 114 total registrations, 91 (79.8%) were male and 23 (20.2%) were female.
Given as a male name
- Ranked #11,335 in 2022
- 6 male births in 2022
- Peak: 2018 (17 births)
Given as a female name
- Ranked #14,079 in 2021
- 6 female births in 2021
- Peak: 2019 (6 births)
2020 Census snapshot
The 2020 Census sex table shows Given on both sides of the split. Of the 211 people counted with this name, 157 were male (74.4%) and 54 were female (25.6%).
Popularity
Given: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Given from the 1920s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 50 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Given remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Given 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 Given during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Givens live
Origin
Meaning and history of Given
The name Given is a unique and intriguing one, with a rich history that spans across multiple cultures and time periods. Its origins can be traced back to the Latin word "datum," which means "to give" or "to bestow." This suggests that the name was likely given to individuals who were seen as gifts or blessings.
During the Middle Ages, the name Given gained popularity in certain regions of Europe, particularly in areas where Latin was widely spoken. It was often used as a symbolic name, representing the idea of being a gift from God or a divine blessing. In some cases, the name was also used to honor individuals who had been given a second chance at life or had overcome significant challenges.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Given can be found in the writings of St. Augustine, a prominent philosopher and theologian who lived in the 4th and 5th centuries AD. In his work "Confessions," Augustine makes reference to a man named Given, although the context and details surrounding this individual are not entirely clear.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Given. One such person was Given Bruce, a Scottish nobleman who lived in the 13th century and played a significant role in the Wars of Scottish Independence. Another prominent figure was Given Ravilious, an English painter, and engraver who lived from 1903 to 1942 and is known for his distinctive style and contributions to the British art world.
In the religious realm, Given has been a name associated with various figures. One example is Given of Rottweil, a Benedictine monk who lived in the 11th century and is venerated as a saint in the Catholic Church. Additionally, there was Given the Martyr, a Christian figure who was said to have been martyred in the 3rd century, though the details of his life and death are shrouded in legend.
Another notable bearer of the name Given was Given Hubbell, an American businessman and politician who lived from 1795 to 1874. He served as a member of the United States House of Representatives and was involved in various business ventures, including the development of railroad and mining companies.
While the name Given has a rich and diverse history, it is important to note that its popularity has waxed and waned over the centuries. In some periods, it was more commonly used, while in others, it fell out of favor. However, its unique meaning and connections to various cultures and historical figures have ensured that it remains a distinctive and intriguing name.
People
Given + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Given 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
Given: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Given?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 108 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Given 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 3,173,651 US residents.
Is Given a common name?
We classify Given as "Very Rare". It ranks above 65.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 114 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Given most popular?
The single biggest year for Given was 2018, when 22 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Given is about 11 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Given in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 213 people with the name Given, or 0.07 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #36,939 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 Given 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 Given?
The 2020 Census sex table shows Given on both sides of the split. Of the 211 people counted with this name, 157 were male (74.4%) and 54 were female (25.6%). 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 Given?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Given is White at 44.6%. The next largest groups are Black (26.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (14.6%). 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 Given most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Given in the 2020 Census, accounting for 44.6% (95 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 Given in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Given a male name?
Yes, 79.8% of people registered as Given 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 Given still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Given 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 Given 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 Given?
You can see how many people share the name Given on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.