Leviathan
A Biblical sea monster or metaphorical term for something monstrous or powerful.
Name Census estimates that about 814 living Americans carry the first name Leviathan. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Leviathan today is around 9 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Leviathan births was 2020 (87 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Leviathan. 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
814
~ 1 in 421,074 Americans
Peak year
2020
87 babies that year
Average age
9
years old
2024 SSA rank
#2,290
Tracked since 1991
Popularity
Leviathan: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Leviathan from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 356 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
Leviathan 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 Leviathan during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Leviathans live
The SSA's state-level files cover 10 states and territories. California, Texas, Pennsylvania recorded the most babies named Leviathan, while Utah, New York, Indiana recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 19 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Leviathan
The name Leviathan has its origins in the Hebrew language, derived from the word "livyathan," which is believed to have been formed from the root words "lavah" (to twist or wind) and "tan" (a serpent or dragon). This name is first mentioned in the Book of Job in the Hebrew Bible, where it is described as a powerful and fearsome sea creature.
In the ancient Near Eastern mythology, Leviathan was often depicted as a monstrous sea serpent or dragon that symbolized chaos, destruction, and the primordial forces of nature. The name gained significance in various religious and cultural contexts, including Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, where it was often associated with evil, sin, and the forces of darkness that must be overcome by divine power.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Leviathan can be found in the writings of the ancient Greek philosopher Plato, who used the term to describe a mythical sea monster. Additionally, the name appears in the works of various other ancient writers, such as the Roman poet Lucretius and the Jewish historian Josephus.
Throughout history, the name Leviathan has been associated with several notable individuals, although its use as a given name has been relatively rare. One of the earliest known individuals with this name was Leviathan of Parma (c. 1425 - c. 1499), an Italian Renaissance scholar and philosopher known for his work on the study of ancient texts.
Another prominent figure with the name Leviathan was Leviathan Munster (1556 - 1629), a German cartographer and cosmographer who is best known for his influential maps and geographical works.
In the 17th century, the English philosopher Thomas Hobbes (1588 - 1679) famously used the name Leviathan as the title of his influential work on political philosophy, in which he compared the power of the state to the biblical sea monster.
More recently, the name Leviathan has been used as a moniker or stage name by various artists and musicians, including the American heavy metal band Mastodon, whose album "Leviathan" was released in 2004.
Despite its rich historical significance and symbolic associations, the name Leviathan remains relatively uncommon as a given name, likely due to its ominous connotations and its association with the monstrous sea creature of ancient mythology.
People
Leviathan + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Leviathan 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
Leviathan: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Leviathan?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 814 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Leviathan 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 421,074 US residents.
Is Leviathan a common name?
We classify Leviathan as "Very Rare". It ranks above 88.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 821 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Leviathan most popular?
The single biggest year for Leviathan was 2020, when 87 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Leviathan is about 9 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Leviathan a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Leviathan 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.
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.