Kothan
A masculine name of Hindu origin meaning "young elephant" or "baby elephant".
Name Census estimates that about 6 living Americans carry the first name Kothan. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Kothan today is around 22 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kothan births was 2004 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kothan. 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 Kothan. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
6
~ 1 in 57,125,723 Americans
Peak year
2004
6 babies that year
Average age
22
years old
2004 SSA rank
#10,757
Tracked since 2004
Popularity
Kothan: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Kothan 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 Kothan 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 | 6 | 0 | 6 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Kothan
The name Kothan is of ancient origin, rooted in the Sanskrit language of the Indian subcontinent. It dates back to the Vedic period, which spanned from around 1500 BCE to 500 BCE, and is derived from the Sanskrit word "kothan," which means "strong" or "powerful."
One of the earliest known references to the name Kothan can be found in the Mahabharata, one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India. In this epic, Kothan is mentioned as the name of a warrior who fought alongside the Pandava princes in the great battle of Kurukshetra.
The name Kothan was particularly popular among the Kshatriya caste, the warrior and ruling class of ancient Indian society. It was believed to bestow strength and courage upon the bearer, making it a coveted name for the sons of kings and nobles.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Kothan. One of the earliest recorded instances is Kothan Chola, a Tamil king who ruled the Chola Empire in the 9th century CE. He is credited with expanding the empire's territory and laying the foundations for the later Chola Renaissance.
Another prominent Kothan was Kothan Solanki, a ruler of the Solanki dynasty in present-day Gujarat, India, during the 11th century CE. He is remembered for his patronage of arts and literature, as well as his military conquests.
In the 16th century, Kothan Singh was a Rajput warrior and chieftain from the Mewar region of Rajasthan. He played a crucial role in the battles against the Mughal Empire, earning a reputation for his bravery and military prowess.
Moving forward in time, Kothan Rai was a prominent figure in the Indian independence movement of the 19th century. He was a member of the Brahmo Samaj, a religious and social reform movement, and advocated for the abolition of social evils and the promotion of education.
Finally, in the 20th century, Kothan Nambiar was an acclaimed Indian classical dancer and choreographer. He was instrumental in reviving and popularizing the ancient Indian dance form of Kathakali, and his contributions earned him numerous awards and accolades.
People
Kothan + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kothan 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
Kothan: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kothan?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 6 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kothan 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 Kothan a common name?
We classify Kothan 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 Kothan most popular?
The single biggest year for Kothan was 2004, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kothan 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 Kothan in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Kothan a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Kothan 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 Kothan still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Kothan 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 Kothan 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 common is the name Kothan?
See how many Americans are named Kothan on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.