Heydan
A masculine name of Persian origin meaning "warrior" or "brave hero".
Name Census estimates that about 11 living Americans carry the first name Heydan. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Heydan today is around 19 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Heydan births was 2006 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Heydan. 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 Heydan. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
11
~ 1 in 31,159,485 Americans
Peak year
2006
6 babies that year
Average age
19
years old
2008 SSA rank
#13,258
Tracked since 2006
Popularity
Heydan: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Heydan 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 Heydan during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 11 | 0 | 11 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Heydan
The name Heydan has its origins in the ancient Persian language, specifically in the region of present-day Iran. It is believed to have been derived from the old Persian word "haydan," which means "sun" or "light." This connection to celestial symbolism suggests that the name may have held spiritual or religious significance in its early usage.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Heydan can be found in the Zoroastrian sacred text, the Avesta, dating back to the 6th century BCE. Here, it is mentioned as the name of a prominent priest and scholar who played a significant role in the preservation and transmission of the ancient Zoroastrian teachings.
During the Sassanid Empire, which ruled over Persia from the 3rd to the 7th century CE, the name Heydan gained popularity among the nobility and aristocracy. It was a name associated with wisdom, knowledge, and enlightenment, traits that were highly valued in the Persian culture of that time.
In the 10th century CE, a renowned Persian poet and philosopher named Heydan al-Shirazi left a lasting impact on the literary and intellectual circles of the Islamic Golden Age. His works explored themes of love, mysticism, and the human condition, and he is considered one of the finest lyric poets of his era.
Another notable figure bearing the name Heydan was a 12th-century Persian mathematician and astronomer, Heydan al-Khwarizmi. He made significant contributions to the field of algebra and is credited with introducing the concept of algorithms, which is derived from his name.
During the Safavid Dynasty in the 16th and 17th centuries, the name Heydan continued to be favored among the Persian elite. One prominent example was Heydan Mirza, a prince and military commander who played a crucial role in the expansion and consolidation of the Safavid Empire.
Throughout its long history, the name Heydan has maintained its association with wisdom, enlightenment, and intellectual pursuits. While its usage may have evolved over time, it remains a name deeply rooted in the rich cultural heritage of ancient Persia, carrying echoes of celestial symbolism and scholarly traditions.
People
Heydan + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Heydan 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
Heydan: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Heydan?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 11 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Heydan 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 31,159,485 US residents.
Is Heydan a common name?
We classify Heydan as "Very Rare". It ranks above 30.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 11 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Heydan most popular?
The single biggest year for Heydan was 2006, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Heydan is about 19 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 Heydan in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Heydan a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Heydan 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 Heydan still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Heydan 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 Heydan 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 share the name Heydan?
Find out how many Americans are named Heydan on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.