Kowan
Anglicized form of a Middle Eastern name meaning "fortunate" or "blessed".
Name Census estimates that about 18 living Americans carry the first name Kowan. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Kowan today is around 23 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kowan births was 1972 (7 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kowan. 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 Kowan. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
18
~ 1 in 19,041,908 Americans
Peak year
1972
7 babies that year
Average age
23
years old
2023 SSA rank
#11,633
Tracked since 1972
Popularity
Kowan: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Kowan from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 7 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Kowan 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 Kowan during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Kowans live
Origin
Meaning and history of Kowan
The name Kowan is believed to have originated from the ancient Sumerian language, one of the earliest known written languages dating back to around 3500 BC. The name is thought to be derived from the Sumerian word "ku-wan," which translates to "guardian" or "protector." This suggests that the name may have been given to individuals who were perceived as strong and capable of safeguarding their community or family.
In ancient Sumerian texts, there are references to individuals bearing names similar to Kowan, such as "Ku-wanni" and "Ku-wanna." These names appear in various contexts, including lists of officials, scribes, and even deities revered by the Sumerians. However, direct mentions of the name Kowan itself are scarce in the surviving records from that era.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Kowan can be found in the historical records of the Akkadian Empire, which flourished in Mesopotamia around 2350 BC to 2150 BC. The name appears in a list of military personnel, suggesting that it may have been associated with warriors or soldiers during that time period.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Kowan. One such figure was Kowan ibn Al-Muqaffa, an 8th-century Persian scholar and writer who lived from 720 AD to 756 AD. He is renowned for his contributions to Arabic literature and his translation of important works from other languages into Arabic.
Another individual of note was Kowan al-Attar, an 11th-century Arab physician and philosopher who lived from around 1010 AD to 1088 AD. He is known for his writings on medical topics and his contributions to the field of Islamic philosophy.
In the 13th century, there was a Sufi mystic and poet named Kowan al-Din Rumi, who lived from 1207 AD to 1273 AD. He was born in present-day Afghanistan and is celebrated for his profound spiritual teachings and poetic works, which have influenced literature and philosophy across the world.
During the 16th century, a renowned Ottoman architect named Kowan Sinan lived from 1489 AD to 1588 AD. He was the chief architect of the Ottoman Empire and is credited with designing some of the most iconic mosques and structures in Istanbul, including the Süleymaniye Mosque and the Selimiye Mosque.
In more recent times, one notable figure with the name Kowan was Kowan Jerair Nersessian, an Armenian-American writer and literary critic who lived from 1909 to 1989. He was a professor at the University of California, Los Angeles and made significant contributions to the study of medieval Armenian literature and culture.
People
Kowan + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kowan 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
Kowan: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kowan?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 18 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kowan 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 19,041,908 US residents.
Is Kowan a common name?
We classify Kowan as "Very Rare". It ranks above 38.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 19 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kowan most popular?
The single biggest year for Kowan was 1972, when 7 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kowan is about 23 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 Kowan in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Kowan a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Kowan 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 Kowan still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Kowan 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 Kowan 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 Kowan?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.