Kwaun
Meaning "son", a masculine name of unknown African origin.
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Kwaun. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Kwaun today is around 32 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kwaun births was 1993 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kwaun. 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 Kwaun. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
1993
5 babies that year
Average age
32
years old
1993 SSA rank
#9,546
Tracked since 1993
Popularity
Kwaun: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Kwaun 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 Kwaun during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Kwaun
The name Kwaun is a relatively modern variant of the name Quan, which has its origins in the Vietnamese language. Quan is a unisex name that means "leader" or "ruler." It is believed to have been derived from the Chinese word "quan," which has a similar meaning.
In Vietnam, the name Quan has been in use for centuries, and it is often associated with the ruling class or those in positions of authority. It was common for Vietnamese nobles and royalty to bear this name, as it conveyed a sense of power and leadership.
While the name Quan has a long history in Vietnam, the variant spelling Kwaun is a more recent development. It is likely that this spelling emerged as a result of Vietnamese immigration to English-speaking countries, where the original pronunciation was adapted to fit more familiar English sound patterns.
One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Kwaun can be found in the United States during the late 20th century. However, it is important to note that there are no widely recognized historical figures or prominent individuals from the past who bore this particular spelling.
Nonetheless, the name Kwaun has gained some popularity in recent decades, particularly among Vietnamese-American communities and those with an appreciation for its unique sound and cultural significance.
Among the notable individuals with the name Kwaun are Kwaun Shakespeare, an American basketball player born in 1996; Kwaun Milton, an American football player born in 1993; and Kwaun Lal, a Canadian actor and model born in 1982. Additionally, there are Kwaun Williams, an American football player born in 1991, and Kwaun Philyaw, an American basketball player born in 1997.
While the name Kwaun may not have a long and storied history like some other names, it carries with it the cultural richness and significance of its Vietnamese roots, as well as the adaptability and uniqueness that comes with its modern spelling variation.
People
Kwaun + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kwaun 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
Kwaun: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kwaun?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kwaun 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 68,550,868 US residents.
Is Kwaun a common name?
We classify Kwaun as "Very Rare". It ranks above 18.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kwaun most popular?
The single biggest year for Kwaun was 1993, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kwaun is about 32 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 Kwaun in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Kwaun a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Kwaun 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 Kwaun still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Kwaun 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 Kwaun 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 Kwaun?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.