Ithan
A Persian name meaning "persevering" or "steadfast".
Name Census estimates that about 252 living Americans carry the first name Ithan. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Ithan today is around 10 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Ithan births was 2024 (31 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Ithan. 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
252
~ 1 in 1,360,136 Americans
Peak year
2024
31 babies that year
Average age
10
years old
2024 SSA rank
#3,624
Tracked since 2002
Census
Ithan in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 209 people with the first name Ithan, which placed it at #37,369 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
#37,369
National first-name rank
People counted
209
209 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Hispanic or Latino
62.2% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ithan
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Ithan is Hispanic at 62.2%. The next largest groups are White (24.4%) and Black (9.1%). 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 Ithan 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 Ithan at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino62.2% · 130
- White24.4% · 51
- Black or African American9.1% · 19
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.9% · 6
- Two or more races1.4% · 3
Popularity
Ithan: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Ithan 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 114 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
Ithan 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 Ithan during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Ithans live
Origin
Meaning and history of Ithan
The given name Ithan is believed to have originated from the ancient Hebrew language, with roots dating back to the biblical era. The name is derived from the Hebrew word "Ittai," which means "nearness" or "companionship." It is speculated that this name was initially bestowed upon individuals who demonstrated qualities of loyalty and camaraderie.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Ithan can be found in the Old Testament of the Bible. In the Book of 2 Samuel, Chapter 15, Verse 19, a man named Ittai the Gittite is referenced as a faithful companion of King David. This biblical figure is often regarded as the namesake for the name Ithan.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Ithan. In the 12th century, Ithan ben Joseph Al-Barceloni was a renowned Jewish philosopher and scholar from Barcelona, Spain. He made significant contributions to the fields of mathematics and astronomy, and his works were widely studied in the medieval era.
During the 16th century, Ithan Amalek was a prominent figure in the Ottoman Empire. He served as a military commander and played a crucial role in the conquest of Constantinople in 1453. His bravery and strategic acumen earned him a place in the annals of Ottoman history.
In the 19th century, Ithan Harris was an American politician and lawyer from Tennessee. He served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1849 to 1853 and was known for his advocacy of states' rights and strict interpretation of the Constitution.
Another notable figure named Ithan was Ithan Kanakia, an Indian freedom fighter and social reformer who lived in the early 20th century. He dedicated his life to the cause of Indian independence and worked tirelessly to uplift the underprivileged communities in his region.
While the name Ithan may not be as common in modern times, its rich historical significance and connection to loyalty, companionship, and bravery have endured through the centuries. The individuals mentioned above are just a few examples of the notable bearers of this ancient name.
People
Ithan + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Ithan as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with I
Other first names starting with I with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Ithan: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Ithan?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 252 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Ithan 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 1,360,136 US residents.
Is Ithan a common name?
We classify Ithan as "Very Rare". It ranks above 77.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 254 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Ithan most popular?
The single biggest year for Ithan was 2024, when 31 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Ithan 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 Ithan in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 209 people with the name Ithan, or 0.07 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #37,369 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 Ithan 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 Ithan?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Ithan appears almost entirely male. Of the 208 people counted with this name, 100.0% were male and only a very small share were female. 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 Ithan?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Ithan is Hispanic at 62.2%. The next largest groups are White (24.4%) and Black (9.1%). 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 Ithan most often in the Census?
Hispanic is the largest reported group for people named Ithan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 62.2% (130 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 Ithan in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Ithan a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Ithan 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 Ithan still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Ithan 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 Ithan 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 Ithan?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.