Gohan
A masculine Japanese name meaning "rice" or "meal".
Name Census estimates that about 541 living Americans carry the first name Gohan. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Gohan today is around 10 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Gohan births was 2024 (56 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Gohan. 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
541
~ 1 in 633,557 Americans
Peak year
2024
56 babies that year
Average age
10
years old
2024 SSA rank
#2,447
Tracked since 2000
Census
Gohan in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 319 people with the first name Gohan, which placed it at #28,252 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
#28,252
National first-name rank
People counted
319
319 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Hispanic or Latino
67.4% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gohan
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Gohan is Hispanic at 67.4%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (11.6%) and White (11.3%). 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 Gohan 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 Gohan at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino67.4% · 215
- Asian and Pacific Islander11.6% · 37
- White11.3% · 36
- Two or more races4.4% · 14
- Black or African American3.8% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.6% · 5
Popularity
Gohan: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Gohan from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 229 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Gohan 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 Gohan during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Gohans live
The SSA's state-level files cover 4 states and territories. Texas, California, Florida recorded the most babies named Gohan, while North Carolina, Florida, California recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 41 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Gohan
The given name Gohan has its origins in Japanese culture and language. It is derived from the word "gohan," which means "cooked rice" or "meal" in Japanese. The name's earliest recorded usage can be traced back to the Heian period in Japan, which lasted from 794 to 1185 CE.
In ancient Japan, rice was a staple food and held immense cultural significance. The name Gohan likely originated as a way to express gratitude for nourishment and to symbolize the importance of sustenance in daily life. It may have initially been used as a nickname or pet name before becoming a formal given name.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Gohan was a Buddhist monk who lived during the Kamakura period (1185-1333 CE). He was known for his contributions to Zen Buddhism and his teachings on the importance of mindfulness and simplicity.
Another notable figure was Gohan Masunaga, a 16th-century samurai who served under the famous warlord Oda Nobunaga. Masunaga was renowned for his bravery and loyalty, and his name has been immortalized in various historical accounts and legends.
In the 17th century, a prominent artist named Gohan Toshimitsu gained recognition for his intricate woodblock prints and ukiyo-e paintings. His works depicted scenes from everyday life in Edo (present-day Tokyo) and captured the essence of the city's vibrant culture.
During the Meiji era (1868-1912), a politician named Gohan Hirobumi played a significant role in modernizing Japan and establishing it as a global power. He served as the first Prime Minister of Japan and was instrumental in the country's transition from a feudal society to a modern nation-state.
More recently, in the 20th century, a Japanese architect named Gohan Tange left a lasting impact on the world of architecture. He was known for his innovative and imaginative designs, including the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building.
These are just a few examples of individuals who have carried the name Gohan throughout history. While the name's origins can be traced back to ancient Japan, its significance and popularity have endured over centuries, reflecting the cultural and historical richness of the Japanese tradition.
People
Gohan + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Gohan 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
Gohan: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Gohan?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 541 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Gohan 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 633,557 US residents.
Is Gohan a common name?
We classify Gohan as "Very Rare". It ranks above 85.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 545 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Gohan most popular?
The single biggest year for Gohan was 2024, when 56 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Gohan is about 10 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Gohan in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 319 people with the name Gohan, or 0.11 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #28,252 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 Gohan 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 Gohan?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Gohan leans strongly male. 307 people counted with this name were male (98.1%), compared with 6 female bearers (1.9%). 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 Gohan?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Gohan is Hispanic at 67.4%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (11.6%) and White (11.3%). 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 Gohan most often in the Census?
Hispanic is the largest reported group for people named Gohan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 67.4% (215 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 Gohan in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Gohan a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Gohan 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 Gohan still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Gohan 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 Gohan 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 Gohan?
Find out how many people share the name Gohan on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.