Lawan
A Sanskrit name meaning "beautiful".
Name Census estimates that about 132 living Americans carry the first name Lawan. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 64.0% of registrations being female. The average person named Lawan today is around 52 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Lawan births was 1972 (15 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Lawan. 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.
People living today
132
~ 1 in 2,596,624 Americans
Peak year
1972
15 babies that year
Average age
52
years old
2002 SSA rank
#9,013
Tracked since 1954
Gender
Gender distribution for Lawan
Lawan is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 150 total registrations, 54 (36.0%) were male and 96 (64.0%) were female.
Lawan as a male name
- Ranked #9,013 in 2002
- 7 male births in 2002
- Peak: 1972 (9 births)
Lawan as a female name
- Ranked #11,456 in 1982
- 5 female births in 1982
- Peak: 1970 (10 births)
Popularity
Lawan: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Lawan from the 1950s through to the 2000s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 57 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1970s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Lawan 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 Lawan during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Lawans live
Origin
Meaning and history of Lawan
The name Lawan is believed to have originated from the Thai language, where it means "fighter" or "warrior." It is a gender-neutral name that has been used predominantly in Thailand and other parts of Southeast Asia for centuries.
The earliest known records of the name Lawan can be traced back to ancient Thai literature and inscriptions from the Ayutthaya Kingdom, which ruled over present-day Thailand and parts of neighboring countries from the 14th to the 18th century. During this period, the name was often associated with individuals who exhibited bravery and strength in battle or other forms of combat.
In the 16th century, there was a famous Thai warrior named Lawan Thammathikan, who played a significant role in defending the Ayutthaya Kingdom against Burmese invaders. His exploits were recorded in various historical chronicles, and he became a revered figure in Thai culture.
Another notable individual with the name Lawan was Lawan Vongvichit, a prominent Thai politician and diplomat who served as the Prime Minister of Thailand in the early 20th century, from 1933 to 1938. He played a crucial role in modernizing Thailand and establishing its diplomatic relations with other countries.
In more recent times, Lawan Prangkunokmul was a respected Thai artist and sculptor who was active in the mid-20th century. Her works, which often depicted scenes from Thai mythology and folklore, are considered significant contributions to the country's cultural heritage.
Beyond Thailand, the name Lawan has also been used in other parts of Southeast Asia, particularly in Laos and Cambodia, where it shares a similar meaning and cultural significance.
People
Lawan + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Lawan as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with L
Other first names starting with L with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Lawan: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Lawan?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 132 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Lawan 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 2,596,624 US residents.
Is Lawan a common name?
We classify Lawan as "Very Rare". It ranks above 68.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 150 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Lawan most popular?
The single biggest year for Lawan was 1972, when 15 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Lawan is about 52 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Lawan a female name?
Yes, 64.0% of people registered as Lawan in the SSA data are female. 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.