Jawon
A masculine name of Korean origin meaning "handsome gift".
Name Census estimates that about 793 living Americans carry the first name Jawon. It is a predominantly male name (99.4% of registrations). The average person named Jawon today is around 26 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Jawon births was 1997 (62 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Jawon. 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
793
~ 1 in 432,225 Americans
Peak year
1997
62 babies that year
Average age
26
years old
2023 SSA rank
#8,522
Tracked since 1975
Gender
Gender distribution for Jawon
Out of the 810 babies given the name Jawon since 1880, 99.4% were registered as male. The name sits firmly on the male side of the spectrum, with only a handful of female registrations across the entire dataset.
Jawon as a male name
- Ranked #8,522 in 2023
- 9 male births in 2023
- Peak: 1997 (62 births)
Jawon as a female name
- Ranked #9,864 in 1976
- 5 female births in 1976
- Peak: 1976 (5 births)
Popularity
Jawon: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Jawon from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 356 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1990s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Jawon 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 Jawon during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Jawons live
The SSA's state-level files cover 8 states and territories. Illinois, Georgia, Maryland recorded the most babies named Jawon, while Texas, Florida, Alabama recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 13 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Jawon
The name Jawon is derived from the Korean language and culture. Its origins can be traced back to the early medieval period in Korea, around the 7th to 10th centuries AD. The name is a compound word formed by combining the Korean words "ja" (자), meaning "son" or "child," and "won" (원), meaning "Source" or "origin." Thus, the name Jawon can be interpreted as "a child of noble or pure origin."
In ancient Korean texts and historical records, the name is sometimes spelled differently, such as "Jaweon" or "Jaewon," reflecting the natural evolution of language over time. While the name does not have any direct references in major religious scriptures, it has been a popular choice among Korean families for centuries.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Jawon can be found in the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty, a historical record documenting events during the reign of King Seongjong (1469-1494). The text mentions a court official named Jawon Kim, who served as a high-ranking government official during that period.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Jawon. One prominent figure was Jawon Yi (1499-1572), a Korean Confucian scholar and philosopher who lived during the Joseon Dynasty. He was known for his contributions to the development of Neo-Confucian thought in Korea.
Another famous Jawon was Jawon Jeong (1876-1950), a Korean artist and calligrapher who played a significant role in preserving traditional Korean art forms during the turbulent period of Japanese colonial rule in the early 20th century.
In the realm of literature, Jawon Kim (1925-2009) was a celebrated Korean poet and writer, known for his lyrical and introspective works that explored themes of identity, nature, and the human condition.
Jawon Park (1882-1942) was a prominent Korean independence activist who fought against Japanese colonial rule in the early 20th century. He played a key role in organizing resistance movements and advocating for Korean independence.
Jawon Choi (1920-1993) was a renowned Korean composer and musician, credited with introducing Western classical music styles to Korea and helping to establish a distinct Korean classical music tradition.
People
Jawon + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Jawon as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with J
Other first names starting with J with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Jawon: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Jawon?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 793 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Jawon 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 432,225 US residents.
Is Jawon a common name?
We classify Jawon as "Very Rare". It ranks above 88.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 810 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Jawon most popular?
The single biggest year for Jawon was 1997, when 62 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Jawon is about 26 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Jawon a male name?
Yes, 99.4% of people registered as Jawon 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.
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.