NameCensus.
Very Rare

Kathen

A feminine name of uncertain origin, potentially from a Sanskrit roots.

Name Census estimates that about 6 living Americans carry the first name Kathen. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Kathen today is around 18 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kathen births was 2008 (6 babies).

This page is the full Name Census profile for Kathen. 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 Kathen. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.

People living today

6

~ 1 in 57,125,723 Americans

Peak year

2008

6 babies that year

Average age

18

years old

2008 SSA rank

#11,837

Tracked since 2008

Popularity

Kathen: popularity over time

Babies born per year

02356

Decades

Kathen 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 Kathen during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.

DecadeMaleFemaleTotal
2000s606

Origin

Meaning and history of Kathen

The name Kathen is believed to have originated from the ancient Sanskrit language, which was prevalent in the Indian subcontinent around the 2nd millennium BCE. It is derived from the word "Katha," which means "story" or "narrative." The name likely emerged as a way to honor storytellers and poets who played a vital role in preserving cultural traditions through oral histories and literary works.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Kathen can be found in the Hindu epic Mahabharata, which dates back to the 8th or 9th century BCE. In this sacred text, Kathen is mentioned as a wise sage who imparted valuable lessons through his tales and parables. This association with wisdom and storytelling may have contributed to the name's popularity among scholars and intellectuals in ancient India.

During the Gupta Empire, which ruled over much of the Indian subcontinent from the 4th to the 6th century CE, the name Kathen gained further prominence. One notable figure from this period was Kathen Gupta, a renowned philosopher and poet who authored several influential works on ethics and metaphysics. His contributions to the literary and intellectual spheres of his time solidified the name's association with learning and cultural enrichment.

In the 10th century CE, a famous Kathen appeared in the annals of Cambodian history. Kathen the Scribe was a skilled calligrapher and linguist who played a crucial role in preserving the Khmer language and its rich literary traditions. His meticulous documentation of ancient texts and his work in standardizing the written form of the language earned him a place of honor in Cambodian cultural heritage.

Moving forward in history, the name Kathen also found its way into the Islamic world. In the 12th century, a prominent scholar and theologian named Kathen al-Baghdadi made significant contributions to the field of Islamic jurisprudence. His writings and teachings on Sharia law and Islamic ethics were widely respected and studied across the Islamic empires of the time.

Another notable figure bearing the name Kathen was a 16th-century Italian Renaissance painter, Kathen Bellini. Born in Venice in 1501, Bellini was renowned for his masterful use of color and his ability to capture the essence of his subjects in his portraiture. His works, often commissioned by wealthy patrons, adorned the walls of palaces and churches throughout Italy and remain celebrated examples of Renaissance art to this day.

These are just a few examples of the many individuals who have carried the name Kathen throughout history, each leaving their mark in their respective fields and contributing to the rich tapestry of human culture and knowledge.

People

Kathen + last name combinations

How many people share a full name with Kathen as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.

Related

Other names starting with K

Other first names starting with K with a similar number of bearers.

FAQ

Kathen: questions and answers

How many people in the U.S. are named Kathen?

Name Census puts the figure at roughly 6 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kathen 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 57,125,723 US residents.

Is Kathen a common name?

We classify Kathen as "Very Rare". It ranks above 22.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 6 babies have been registered with this name.

When was Kathen most popular?

The single biggest year for Kathen was 2008, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kathen is about 18 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 Kathen in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.

Is Kathen a male name?

Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Kathen 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 Kathen still being used today?

Yes. The SSA still recorded Kathen 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 Kathen 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 Kathen?

Find out how many Americans are named Kathen on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.

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Kathen

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