Haeun
A feminine Korean name meaning "lasting grace" or "eternal brilliance".
Name Census estimates that about 37 living Americans carry the first name Haeun. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Haeun today is around 18 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Haeun births was 2003 (8 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Haeun. 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 Haeun. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
37
~ 1 in 9,263,631 Americans
Peak year
2003
8 babies that year
Average age
18
years old
2012 SSA rank
#15,642
Tracked since 2003
Census
Haeun in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 447 people with the first name Haeun, which placed it at #22,320 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
#22,320
National first-name rank
People counted
447
447 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Asian and Pacific Islander
93.1% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Haeun
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Haeun is Asian/Pacific Islander at 93.1%. The next largest groups are White (3.6%) and Black (2.2%). 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 Haeun 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 Haeun at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander93.1% · 416
- White3.6% · 16
- Black or African American2.2% · 10
- Two or more races0.7% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino0.4% · 2
Popularity
Haeun: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Haeun from the 2000s through to the 2010s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 26 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2000s peak, Haeun remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Haeun 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 Haeun during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Haeun
The given name Haeun is of Korean origin, derived from the combination of the Korean words "hae" meaning "sun" or "sunshine" and "un" meaning "grace" or "blessing." This name reflects the cultural significance of the sun in Korean traditions and the desire for grace and blessings upon the child.
The earliest recorded usage of the name Haeun dates back to the Goryeo Dynasty (918-1392 CE) in Korea, where it was primarily given to girls born during the spring or summer months, symbolizing the warmth and radiance of the sun. The name gained popularity during the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1897 CE) and has remained a beloved name choice throughout Korean history.
One of the earliest notable figures with the name Haeun was Lady Haeun, a renowned court lady and calligrapher who lived during the Goryeo Dynasty in the 12th century. Her calligraphic works were highly praised and are still preserved in various Korean museums.
Another historical figure with the name Haeun was Queen Haeun (1659-1701), the wife of King Sukjong of the Joseon Dynasty. She played a significant role in the political affairs of the kingdom and was known for her intelligence and influence.
In the realm of literature, Haeun Kim (1888-1965) was a prominent Korean novelist and poet who wrote during the Japanese colonial period. Her works often depicted the struggles and resilience of Korean women, and she is considered a pioneer of modern Korean literature.
In the field of music, Haeun Kim (born 1989) is a contemporary Korean singer and songwriter. She gained recognition for her powerful vocals and has released several successful albums, earning numerous awards and accolades.
Haeun Choi (born 1992) is a South Korean actress known for her roles in various television dramas and films. She has received critical acclaim for her performances and is considered one of the rising stars in the Korean entertainment industry.
The name Haeun has remained a popular choice among Koreans throughout history, symbolizing the warmth, grace, and blessings associated with the sun. Its enduring legacy reflects the cultural significance and appreciation for this meaningful name in Korean society.
People
Haeun + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Haeun as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with H
Other first names starting with H with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Haeun: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Haeun?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 37 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Haeun 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 9,263,631 US residents.
Is Haeun a common name?
We classify Haeun as "Very Rare". It ranks above 49.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 37 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Haeun most popular?
The single biggest year for Haeun was 2003, when 8 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Haeun is about 18 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Haeun in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 447 people with the name Haeun, or 0.15 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #22,320 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 Haeun 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 Haeun?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Haeun leans strongly female. 430 people counted with this name were female (97.1%), compared with 13 male bearers (2.9%). 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 Haeun?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Haeun is Asian/Pacific Islander at 93.1%. The next largest groups are White (3.6%) and Black (2.2%). 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 Haeun most often in the Census?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest reported group for people named Haeun in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.1% (416 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 Haeun in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Haeun a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Haeun in the SSA data are female. 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 Haeun still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Haeun 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 Haeun 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 have the name Haeun?
If you just want to know how many people share the name Haeun, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.