Hosteen
A masculine given name of Navajo origin meaning "ancestral patriarch".
Name Census estimates that about 1 living Americans carry the first name Hosteen. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Hosteen today is around 178 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Hosteen births was 1883 (8 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Hosteen. 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
- • The typical person named Hosteen is about 178 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Hosteens were born before 1858.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Hosteen. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
1
~ 1 in 342,754,338 Americans
Peak year
1883
8 babies that year
Average age
178
years old
1902 SSA rank
#1,071
Tracked since 1880
Popularity
Hosteen: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Hosteen from the 1880s through to the 1900s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1880s, with 39 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1880s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Hosteen 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 Hosteen 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 Hosteen
The name Hosteen is derived from the Navajo language, spoken by the Navajo people, an Native American tribe residing primarily in the southwestern United States. The name originated around the 16th century, when the Navajo were known as the Apaches de Navajo.
Hosteen is a contraction of the Navajo word "hastiin," which means "he is a man." It was traditionally used as a respectful term of address for an older man or a leader within the Navajo community. The name reflects the cultural significance placed on elders and their wisdom in Navajo society.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Hosteen can be found in the journals of Spanish explorers who encountered the Navajo people in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. These accounts mention interactions with Navajo leaders referred to as "Hosteen."
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Hosteen. Hosteen Klah (c. 1867-1937) was a respected Navajo headman and medicine man who played a crucial role in the preservation of Navajo cultural traditions. Hosteen Beyal (1857-1938) was a renowned Navajo silversmith and craftsman, known for his intricate and beautiful jewelry designs.
In the realm of literature, Hosteen Tso was a central character in Tony Hillerman's popular mystery novels set in the Navajo Nation. While a fictional character, Hosteen Tso embodied the wisdom and spiritual guidance of a Navajo elder.
Another prominent figure was Hosteen Frije (c. 1860-1936), a Navajo medicine man and leader who advocated for the rights of his people during a period of significant upheaval and cultural suppression. Hosteen John (1887-1945) was a Navajo code talker who served in the United States Marine Corps during World War II, using the Navajo language as an unbreakable code to transmit secret communications.
The name Hosteen continues to be used within the Navajo community as a respectful term for elders and as a first name, carrying with it the cultural significance and historical legacy of the Navajo people.
People
Hosteen + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Hosteen 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
Hosteen: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Hosteen?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Hosteen 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 342,754,338 US residents.
Is Hosteen a common name?
We classify Hosteen as "Very Rare". It ranks above 3.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 65 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Hosteen most popular?
The single biggest year for Hosteen was 1883, when 8 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Hosteen is about 178 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 Hosteen in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Hosteen a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Hosteen 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 Hosteen still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Hosteen 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 Hosteen 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 common is the name Hosteen?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.