Negan
An English name of uncertain origin, potentially derived from a misspelling.
Name Census estimates that about 270 living Americans carry the first name Negan. It is a predominantly male name (97.8% of registrations). The average person named Negan today is around 7 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Negan births was 2017 (44 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Negan. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Negan with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
270
~ 1 in 1,269,461 Americans
Peak year
2017
44 babies that year
Average age
7
years old
2024 SSA rank
#5,575
Tracked since 1987
Census
Negan in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 140 people with the first name Negan, which placed it at #47,034 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#47,034
National first-name rank
People counted
140
140 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.0
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
80.0% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Negan
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Negan is White at 80.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.3%) and Two or More Races (6.4%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Negan described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Negan at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White80.0% · 112
- Hispanic or Latino9.3% · 13
- Two or more races6.4% · 9
- Black or African American2.9% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 1
Gender
Gender distribution for Negan
Negan leans heavily male at 97.8% of total registrations, but 6 girls have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Negan as a male name
- Ranked #5,575 in 2024
- 17 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2017 (44 births)
Negan as a female name
- Ranked #10,809 in 1987
- 6 female births in 1987
- Peak: 1987 (6 births)
2020 Census snapshot
The 2020 Census sex table shows Negan on both sides of the split. Of the 138 people counted with this name, 105 were male (76.1%) and 33 were female (23.9%).
Popularity
Negan: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Negan from the 1980s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 136 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
Negan 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 Negan during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Negans live
The SSA's state-level files cover 4 states and territories. Texas, Ohio, Arizona recorded the most babies named Negan, while New Jersey, Arizona, Ohio recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 6 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Negan
The name Negan traces its origins to the ancient Etruscan civilization that flourished in what is now modern-day Italy. It is believed to be derived from the Etruscan word "nec," which means "to conquer" or "to defeat." This connection suggests that the name may have been originally associated with warriors or victorious individuals in Etruscan society.
During the height of the Roman Empire, the name Negan was occasionally used by Roman families, particularly those with Etruscan roots or connections. However, it remained relatively rare and did not gain widespread popularity until much later in history.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Negan can be found in a 9th-century manuscript from the Carolingian era, where it is mentioned as the name of a minor nobleman from the region of present-day northern Italy. This document provides evidence that the name was still in use, albeit infrequently, during the Middle Ages.
In the 12th century, a Negan de Montferrat was a prominent figure in the Third Crusade, serving as a knight and military commander under the leadership of Richard the Lionheart. His exploits and bravery in battle may have contributed to a resurgence of interest in the name among European nobility.
During the Renaissance period, a Negan Alberti was a renowned architect and artist from Florence, Italy, who lived from 1404 to 1472. His notable works include the façade of the Basilica of Santa Maria Novella and the Palazzo Rucellai, both in Florence.
In the 16th century, Negan Borgia was a member of the powerful Borgia family and served as a cardinal in the Catholic Church. He was born in 1510 and played a significant role in the religious and political affairs of his time.
Fast-forwarding to the 19th century, Negan Pushkin was a Russian poet and playwright who lived from 1799 to 1837. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest literary figures in Russian history and is often referred to as the "founder of modern Russian literature."
While the name Negan has remained relatively uncommon throughout history, these examples demonstrate its enduring presence across various cultures and eras, often associated with individuals of notable accomplishments or significance in their respective fields.
People
Negan + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Negan 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
Negan: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Negan?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 270 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Negan 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 1,269,461 US residents.
Is Negan a common name?
We classify Negan as "Very Rare". It ranks above 78% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 272 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Negan most popular?
The single biggest year for Negan was 2017, when 44 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Negan is about 7 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Negan in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 140 people with the name Negan, or 0.05 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #47,034 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Negan in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Negan?
The 2020 Census sex table shows Negan on both sides of the split. Of the 138 people counted with this name, 105 were male (76.1%) and 33 were female (23.9%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Negan?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Negan is White at 80.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.3%) and Two or More Races (6.4%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Negan most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Negan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.0% (112 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
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 Negan in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Negan a male name?
Yes, 97.8% of people registered as Negan 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 Negan still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Negan 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 Negan 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.
How many people have the name Negan?
If you just want to know how many people share the name Negan, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.