Pegah
A Persian feminine name meaning "the bright morning light".
Name Census estimates that about 71 living Americans carry the first name Pegah. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Pegah today is around 38 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Pegah births was 1992 (10 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Pegah. 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 Pegah. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
71
~ 1 in 4,827,526 Americans
Peak year
1992
10 babies that year
Average age
38
years old
1996 SSA rank
#15,224
Tracked since 1980
Census
Pegah in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 540 people with the first name Pegah, which placed it at #19,526 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
#19,526
National first-name rank
People counted
540
540 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.2
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
88.7% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pegah
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Pegah is White at 88.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (8.9%) and Hispanic (1.3%). 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 Pegah 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 Pegah at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.7% · 479
- Two or more races8.9% · 48
- Hispanic or Latino1.3% · 7
- Black or African American0.6% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 3
Popularity
Pegah: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Pegah from the 1980s through to the 1990s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 46 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1980s peak, Pegah remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Pegah 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 Pegah during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Pegahs live
Origin
Meaning and history of Pegah
The given name Pegah originates from the Persian language and culture, with its roots tracing back to ancient Persia, now modern-day Iran. The name is believed to have derived from the Persian word "pag," meaning "early morning" or "dawn," signifying the fresh start of a new day.
In the historical context, the name Pegah held significant importance in Persian literature and poetry, often used as a metaphor for beauty, purity, and the promise of a new beginning. References to the name can be found in the works of renowned Persian poets such as Rumi and Hafez, who celebrated the natural beauty and radiance associated with the name.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Pegah dates back to the 10th century, when a Persian princess named Pegah was renowned for her intelligence, grace, and philanthropic endeavors. Her legacy inspired generations of Persian women to embrace the name, which became a symbol of strength and nobility.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Pegah, leaving their mark in various fields. Pegah Ferydoni (born 1983) is a renowned Iranian actress and television personality, known for her roles in popular Iranian dramas and films. Pegah Ahangarani (born 1989) is an accomplished Iranian chess player, who has represented her country in numerous international tournaments and holds the title of Woman Grandmaster.
In the realm of literature, Pegah Ahmadi (1981-2017) was an Iranian poet and author, whose works explored themes of love, loss, and the human experience. Her poetic legacy continues to inspire readers around the world. Pegah Khoshnava (born 1962) is an influential Iranian artist, whose abstract paintings have been exhibited in galleries across Europe and the Middle East, earning her widespread critical acclaim.
Another historical figure bearing the name Pegah was Pegah Fathollah (1912-1998), a pioneering Iranian educator and women's rights activist. She played a crucial role in advocating for equal education opportunities for girls and women in Iran, paving the way for future generations of educated and empowered women.
The name Pegah has transcended borders and cultures, resonating with people worldwide for its beautiful meaning and rich historical significance. While its origins can be traced back to ancient Persia, the name has evolved to become a symbol of hope, resilience, and the eternal promise of a new day.
People
Pegah + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Pegah as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with P
Other first names starting with P with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Pegah: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Pegah?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 71 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Pegah 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 4,827,526 US residents.
Is Pegah a common name?
We classify Pegah as "Very Rare". It ranks above 59.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 75 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Pegah most popular?
The single biggest year for Pegah was 1992, when 10 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Pegah is about 38 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Pegah in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 540 people with the name Pegah, or 0.18 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #19,526 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 Pegah 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 Pegah?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Pegah appears almost entirely female. Of the 543 people counted with this name, 99.1% were female and only a very small share were male. 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 Pegah?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Pegah is White at 88.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (8.9%) and Hispanic (1.3%). 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 Pegah most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Pegah in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.7% (479 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 Pegah in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Pegah a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Pegah 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.
Is Pegah still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Pegah 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 Pegah 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 Pegah as a first name?
For a quick modern take, check how many people share the name Pegah on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.