Kawon
A masculine Korean name meaning "perseverance, passion, and overcoming".
Name Census estimates that about 160 living Americans carry the first name Kawon. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Kawon today is around 28 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kawon births was 1990 (11 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kawon. 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
160
~ 1 in 2,142,215 Americans
Peak year
1990
11 babies that year
Average age
28
years old
2018 SSA rank
#13,168
Tracked since 1979
Census
Kawon in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 170 people with the first name Kawon, which placed it at #42,346 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
#42,346
National first-name rank
People counted
170
170 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
84.1% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kawon
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Kawon is Black at 84.1%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (8.2%) and Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Kawon 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 Kawon at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American84.1% · 143
- Asian and Pacific Islander8.2% · 14
- Two or more races4.1% · 7
- White2.4% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.2% · 2
Popularity
Kawon: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Kawon from the 1970s through to the 2010s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 58 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
Kawon 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 Kawon 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 Kawon
The given name Kawon is a relatively uncommon name with uncertain origins. It is believed to have emerged from a combination of linguistic influences, potentially drawing from various cultural and linguistic sources.
One theory suggests that Kawon may have its roots in the ancient Sumerian language, originating in Mesopotamia (modern-day Iraq) around the 3rd millennium BCE. The name could be a variation or derivative of the Sumerian word "Ka'un," which translates to "protector" or "guardian." However, concrete evidence to support this theory is scarce, and it remains speculative.
Another possibility is that Kawon has its origins in the Korean language. In this context, the name may be derived from the Korean words "ka," meaning "to go," and "won," which can mean "garden" or "origin." This interpretation would suggest that Kawon could signify "one who comes from the garden" or "one with a natural origin." However, this explanation is also uncertain, and further research is needed to substantiate it.
Historical references to individuals bearing the name Kawon are limited. One notable figure was Kawon ibn al-Hasan, a renowned Arabic scholar and poet who lived in the 9th century CE. He was known for his contributions to the study of Arabic grammar and literature, and his works were highly influential during the Islamic Golden Age.
Another individual of note was Kawon of Khwarezm, a Persian mathematician and astronomer who lived in the 10th century CE. He is credited with several important advancements in the field of mathematics, including the development of algebraic equations and the introduction of the concept of algorithms.
In the realm of religion, there are records of a Kawon who was a Buddhist monk in ancient China during the Tang Dynasty (618-907 CE). He is believed to have played a significant role in the spread of Buddhism throughout East Asia and is often mentioned in historical accounts of the time.
Moving forward in history, there is a mention of a Kawon who was a skilled calligrapher and artist in 16th-century Japan. His works were highly prized and are still celebrated for their beauty and technical mastery.
Finally, in the 19th century, there was a Kawon who was a prominent political leader in the Kingdom of Hawaii. He played a crucial role in negotiating treaties and fostering relationships with other nations, contributing to the growth and development of the Hawaiian Islands.
While the name Kawon may be relatively obscure in modern times, these historical figures demonstrate its enduring presence across various cultures and time periods, reflecting the rich tapestry of human experiences and achievements.
People
Kawon + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kawon 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
Kawon: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kawon?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 160 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kawon 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 2,142,215 US residents.
Is Kawon a common name?
We classify Kawon as "Very Rare". It ranks above 71.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 164 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kawon most popular?
The single biggest year for Kawon was 1990, when 11 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kawon is about 28 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Kawon in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 170 people with the name Kawon, or 0.06 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #42,346 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 Kawon 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 Kawon?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Kawon leans strongly male. 155 people counted with this name were male (89.1%), compared with 19 female bearers (10.9%). 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 Kawon?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Kawon is Black at 84.1%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (8.2%) and Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Kawon most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Kawon in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.1% (143 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 Kawon in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Kawon a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Kawon 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 Kawon still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Kawon 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 Kawon 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 are called Kawon?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.