Keigan
A Japanese name related to the concepts of modesty and restraint.
Name Census estimates that about 1,065 living Americans carry the first name Keigan. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 85.6% of registrations being male. The average person named Keigan today is around 17 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Keigan births was 2008 (82 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Keigan. 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
- • Keigan is a relatively new arrival in the SSA data. The average bearer is just 17 years old, meaning it gained most of its traction in the last two decades.
People living today
1.1K
~ 1 in 321,835 Americans
Peak year
2008
82 babies that year
Average age
17
years old
2024 SSA rank
#9,409
Tracked since 1987
Gender
Gender distribution for Keigan
Keigan leans heavily male at 85.6% of total registrations, but 155 girls have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Keigan as a male name
- Ranked #9,409 in 2024
- 8 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2008 (67 births)
Keigan as a female name
- Ranked #12,796 in 2023
- 7 female births in 2023
- Peak: 2008 (15 births)
Popularity
Keigan: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Keigan from the 1980s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 432 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2010s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Keigan 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 Keigan during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Keigans live
The SSA's state-level files cover 6 states and territories. Michigan, Texas, Georgia recorded the most babies named Keigan, while Oklahoma, Kentucky, Indiana recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 11 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Keigan
The given name Keigan has its origins in Japanese culture, with the earliest recorded instances dating back to the Edo period (1603-1868) in Japan. The name is derived from the Japanese words "kei" meaning "respect" or "reverence" and "gan" meaning "rock" or "boulder". Together, the name Keigan can be interpreted to mean "revered rock" or "respected boulder".
During the Edo period, it was common for Japanese names to incorporate elements of nature, such as rocks, mountains, or trees, as a way of symbolizing strength, resilience, and a connection to the natural world. The inclusion of the word "kei" in the name Keigan also suggests a sense of reverence or respect, likely reflecting the values and beliefs of the time.
While the name Keigan does not appear to have any direct historical references in ancient texts or religious scriptures, its components can be found in various Japanese literature and poetry from the Edo period and earlier. For example, the word "kei" is often used in Zen Buddhist teachings to refer to a sense of reverence or respect for the natural world and all living beings.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Keigan can be traced back to the late 17th century, with several notable individuals bearing this name throughout Japanese history. One such person was Keigan Toshiyuki (1658-1733), a renowned Japanese painter and calligrapher who was highly influential in the development of the Rinpa school of Japanese art.
Another notable figure was Keigan Masayuki (1796-1868), a samurai and military commander who played a significant role in the Bakumatsu period, which marked the end of the Edo shogunate and the transition to the Meiji Restoration.
In the 20th century, Keigan Ikeda (1900-1985) was a prominent Japanese author and literary critic, known for his works exploring the themes of identity, tradition, and modernity in Japanese society.
More recently, Keigan Kawabe (1923-2004) was a celebrated Japanese artist and printmaker, renowned for his intricate woodblock prints depicting traditional Japanese landscapes and scenes from daily life.
Lastly, Keigan Yamada (1957-present) is a contemporary Japanese chef and restaurateur, recognized for his innovative approach to traditional Japanese cuisine and his efforts in promoting sustainable food practices.
People
Keigan + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Keigan 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
Keigan: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Keigan?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,065 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Keigan 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 321,835 US residents.
Is Keigan a common name?
We classify Keigan as "Rare". It ranks above 90.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,077 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Keigan most popular?
The single biggest year for Keigan was 2008, when 82 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Keigan is about 17 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Keigan a male name?
Yes, 85.6% of people registered as Keigan 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.