Modean
Feminine name of American origin meaning "modern beauty".
Name Census estimates that about 22 living Americans carry the first name Modean. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Modean today is around 90 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Modean births was 1926 (21 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Modean. 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
- • The typical person named Modean is about 90 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Modeans were born before 1946.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Modean. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
22
~ 1 in 15,579,743 Americans
Peak year
1926
21 babies that year
Average age
90
years old
1943 SSA rank
#4,542
Tracked since 1912
Popularity
Modean: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Modean from the 1910s through to the 1940s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 140 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1920s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Modean 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 Modean during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Modeans live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. Arkansas, Texas, Oklahoma recorded the most babies named Modean, while Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 25 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Modean
The name Modean has its origins in the ancient Celtic language of the British Isles. It is believed to have emerged around the 5th century CE, derived from the Proto-Celtic root word "modjo," meaning "brave" or "courageous." The name was particularly popular among the Britons and other Celtic tribes inhabiting the regions of modern-day England, Wales, and Scotland.
One of the earliest known references to the name Modean can be found in the Welsh manuscript known as the "Black Book of Carmarthen," dating back to the 13th century. This medieval manuscript contains a collection of poems and stories, including mentions of individuals bearing the name Modean.
Throughout the Middle Ages, the name Modean was commonly used among the noble families of Wales and the surrounding regions. Notable historical figures with this name include Modean ap Gwilym, a Welsh warrior who fought alongside Owain Glyndŵr in the early 15th century during the Welsh Revolt against English rule.
In the 16th century, the name Modean gained recognition in Scotland, where it was adopted by several prominent clans. One notable bearer of the name was Modean MacLeod, a Scottish chieftain who led his clan in the Battle of Glenlivet in 1594, playing a crucial role in the conflict between Protestant and Catholic forces during the Scottish Reformation.
Moving into the 17th century, the name Modean found its way into English literature. The playwright and poet John Fletcher included a character named Modean in his 1619 tragicomedy "The Loyal Subject." This literary reference further solidified the name's presence in the cultural landscape of the time.
Other historical figures bearing the name Modean include Modean O'Brien, an Irish scholar and poet who lived during the late 17th century, and Modean Vaughan, a Welsh landowner and Member of Parliament in the early 18th century.
While the name Modean has seen a decline in popularity in recent centuries, it remains a unique and historically significant name rooted in the rich cultural heritage of the Celtic peoples of the British Isles.
People
Modean + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Modean as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with M
Other first names starting with M with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Modean: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Modean?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 22 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Modean 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 15,579,743 US residents.
Is Modean a common name?
We classify Modean as "Very Rare". It ranks above 41.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 311 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Modean most popular?
The single biggest year for Modean was 1926, when 21 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Modean is about 90 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Modean a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Modean 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.