Khotan
Name of Persian origin meaning "city of Buddhist pilgrims".
Name Census estimates that about 9 living Americans carry the first name Khotan. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Khotan today is around 22 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Khotan births was 2004 (9 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Khotan. 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 Khotan. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
9
~ 1 in 38,083,815 Americans
Peak year
2004
9 babies that year
Average age
22
years old
2004 SSA rank
#7,899
Tracked since 2004
Popularity
Khotan: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Khotan 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 Khotan during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 9 | 0 | 9 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Khotan
The name Khotan originates from the Khotan region of present-day Xinjiang in China. It is believed to have roots in the ancient Saka language, which was spoken in the region during the 1st century BCE. The name is thought to be derived from the word "khotän," which means "castle" or "fortress" in the Saka language.
Khotan was an important oasis city along the Silk Road trade route, and it played a significant role in the exchange of goods and ideas between the East and West. The city was known for its thriving Buddhist culture, and many ancient Buddhist manuscripts and artifacts have been discovered in the region.
One of the earliest recorded references to the name Khotan can be found in the ancient Chinese text "Hou Hanshu" (Book of the Later Han Dynasty), which was written in the 5th century CE. The text mentions the Kingdom of Khotan and its people, who were skilled in the production of jade and other precious stones.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Khotan. One of the earliest was Khotan Saka, a ruler of the Khotan Kingdom who lived in the 1st century BCE. He is credited with introducing Buddhism to the region and establishing Khotan as a major cultural and economic center along the Silk Road.
Another famous figure was Khotan Lotsawa (1012-1097 CE), a Tibetan Buddhist translator and scholar who played a crucial role in the dissemination of Buddhist texts and teachings in Tibet. He was responsible for translating numerous Sanskrit texts into Tibetan, contributing significantly to the preservation and spread of Buddhist knowledge.
In the 13th century, Khotan Noyan (birth and death dates unknown) was a prominent Mongol military leader who served under Genghis Khan and his successors. He played a vital role in the Mongol conquests and the expansion of the Mongol Empire across Asia and parts of Europe.
Khotan Akhun (1828-1907) was a renowned Islamic scholar and religious leader from the Khotan region. He was instrumental in the spread of Islam in Xinjiang and the preservation of Islamic teachings and traditions in the region.
Finally, Khotan Baba (1868-1953) was a Sufi mystic and spiritual leader from Khotan. He was known for his teachings on the mystical aspects of Islam and his influence on the Sufi community in Central Asia.
People
Khotan + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Khotan 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
Khotan: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Khotan?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 9 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Khotan 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 38,083,815 US residents.
Is Khotan a common name?
We classify Khotan as "Very Rare". It ranks above 25.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 9 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Khotan most popular?
The single biggest year for Khotan was 2004, when 9 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Khotan is about 22 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 Khotan in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Khotan a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Khotan 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 Khotan still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Khotan 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 Khotan 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 are called Khotan?
You can see how many Americans are named Khotan on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.