NameCensus.
Very Rare

Neegan

A unisex name of Sanskrit origin meaning "king" or "ruler".

Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Neegan. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Neegan today is around 5 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Neegan births was 2021 (5 babies).

This page is the full Name Census profile for Neegan. 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 Neegan. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.

People living today

5

~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans

Peak year

2021

5 babies that year

Average age

5

years old

2021 SSA rank

#13,485

Tracked since 2021

Popularity

Neegan: popularity over time

Babies born per year

01345

Decades

Neegan 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 Neegan during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.

DecadeMaleFemaleTotal
2020s505

Origin

Meaning and history of Neegan

The given name Neegan has its origins in the ancient Sumerian language, believed to have originated in the region of Mesopotamia (modern-day Iraq) around the 4th millennium BCE. The name is derived from the Sumerian word "neeg," which means "to command" or "to rule," suggesting a connection to leadership or authority.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Neegan can be found in the cuneiform inscriptions of the Sumerian city-state of Uruk, where it was borne by a high-ranking official around 2500 BCE. This official, known as Neegan of Uruk, is mentioned in clay tablet records as overseeing the construction of several important temples and public works.

In the ancient Akkadian language, which developed from Sumerian, the name Neegan was sometimes rendered as "Negan," with a slightly different pronunciation. This variant appears in a few historical records from the Akkadian Empire, which dominated Mesopotamia from around 2350 BCE to 2150 BCE.

The name Neegan also has a connection to the Babylonian pantheon of deities. One of the minor gods, associated with war and victory, was known as Neegan. While not widely worshipped, this deity's name may have contributed to the name's association with strength and leadership.

Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Neegan. One of the earliest was Neegan of Lagash, a prominent military commander who lived around 2300 BCE in the Sumerian city-state of Lagash (modern-day Al-Hiba, Iraq). He is credited with leading the armies of Lagash to several victories against neighboring city-states.

In the 7th century BCE, a Babylonian scribe and scholar named Neegan of Babylon was renowned for his contributions to the study of cuneiform writing and Mesopotamian literature. His works, preserved on clay tablets, provide valuable insights into the culture and intellectual traditions of ancient Babylon.

During the Sasanian Empire, which ruled over much of ancient Persia (modern-day Iran) from the 3rd to the 7th century CE, there was a notable military leader named Neegan the Brave. He is mentioned in Persian chronicles for his role in defending the empire's borders against invading forces.

In the 12th century CE, a Kurdish chieftain named Neegan of Mardin (located in modern-day Turkey) gained prominence for his resistance against the Seljuk Turks, who had conquered much of the region. His exploits were documented in several medieval Islamic texts, portraying him as a skilled warrior and leader of his people.

Finally, in the 15th century CE, a Sufi mystic and poet from Persia, known as Neegan of Isfahan, achieved recognition for his spiritual writings and devotional poetry. His works, which often celebrated the divine love and unity with the Creator, were widely read and admired throughout the Persian-speaking world.

People

Neegan + last name combinations

How many people share a full name with Neegan as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.

Related

Other names starting with N

Other first names starting with N with a similar number of bearers.

FAQ

Neegan: questions and answers

How many people in the U.S. are named Neegan?

Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Neegan 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 Neegan a common name?

We classify Neegan 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 Neegan most popular?

The single biggest year for Neegan was 2021, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Neegan is about 5 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 Neegan in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.

Is Neegan a male name?

Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Neegan 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 Neegan still being used today?

Yes. The SSA still recorded Neegan 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 Neegan 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 Neegan?

For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.

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Neegan

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