Kavan
Of Persian origin, meaning victorious or strong.
Name Census estimates that about 863 living Americans carry the first name Kavan. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Kavan today is around 22 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kavan births was 2005 (41 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kavan. 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
863
~ 1 in 397,166 Americans
Peak year
2005
41 babies that year
Average age
22
years old
2024 SSA rank
#6,013
Tracked since 1968
Popularity
Kavan: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Kavan from the 1960s through to the 2020s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 323 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Kavan 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 Kavan during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Kavans live
Origin
Meaning and history of Kavan
The name Kavan is believed to have originated from the Persian language. It is derived from the Old Persian word "kavaan," which means "noble" or "honorable." The name has its roots in ancient Persia, which is now modern-day Iran, and is thought to have been used as early as the 6th century BC during the Achaemenid Empire.
In Persian culture, names often carry significant meaning and are chosen with care. The name Kavan reflects the high regard and respect that was given to individuals who possessed noble qualities and upheld honorable values. It was a name that conveyed a sense of pride and dignity.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Kavan can be found in the ancient Persian epic poem, the Shahnameh, written by the renowned poet Ferdowsi in the late 10th century AD. The epic recounts the history and legends of ancient Persia, and the name Kavan appears as a character in some of the stories.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Kavan. One of the earliest known was Kavan ibn Masud al-Ghaznavi, a Persian mathematician and astronomer who lived in the 11th century AD. He made significant contributions to the fields of mathematics and astronomy during the Islamic Golden Age.
Another famous Kavan was Kavan Mirza, a Persian prince and military commander who lived in the 16th century during the Safavid dynasty. He played a crucial role in the expansion and consolidation of the Safavid Empire and was known for his bravery and leadership on the battlefield.
In more recent times, Kavan Novak was a Czech playwright and screenwriter who lived from 1907 to 1983. He is best known for his satirical works that critiqued the political and social climate of his era.
Kavan Moghadam is a contemporary Iranian-American entrepreneur and businessman who founded the successful technology company Dropbox. He was born in 1984 and has been recognized for his innovative contributions to the tech industry.
Lastly, Kavan Smith is a Canadian actor born in 1970. He has appeared in numerous television shows and movies, including recurring roles in popular series like "Supernatural" and "When Calls the Heart."
While the name Kavan may have origins in ancient Persia, it has transcended cultural boundaries and has been adopted by individuals across various regions and ethnicities, each carrying the essence of nobility and honor that the name represents.
People
Kavan + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kavan 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
Kavan: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kavan?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 863 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kavan 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 397,166 US residents.
Is Kavan a common name?
We classify Kavan as "Very Rare". It ranks above 89.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 878 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kavan most popular?
The single biggest year for Kavan was 2005, when 41 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kavan is about 22 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Kavan a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Kavan 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.