Quashan
A unisex name of African American origin meaning "to be refreshed".
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Quashan. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Quashan today is around 34 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Quashan births was 1991 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Quashan. 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 Quashan. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
1991
5 babies that year
Average age
34
years old
1991 SSA rank
#9,257
Tracked since 1991
Popularity
Quashan: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Quashan 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 Quashan during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Quashan
The name Quashan has its origins in the ancient Aramaic language, which was widely spoken across the Middle East and parts of the Mediterranean region during the first millennium BCE. It is derived from the Aramaic root word "qash," which means "to bend" or "to curve." This suggests that the name may have originally been associated with occupations or activities that involved bending or shaping materials.
In its earliest recorded usage, the name Quashan appeared in several Aramaic inscriptions and papyrus documents dating back to the 5th century BCE. These ancient texts indicate that it was a relatively common name among the Aramaic-speaking populations of the Persian Achaemenid Empire, which stretched from modern-day Iran to Egypt during that period.
One of the earliest known individuals to bear the name Quashan was a scribe and scholar who lived in the city of Babylon (present-day Iraq) around 450 BCE. His name was recorded in cuneiform inscriptions as "Qūšānu," which is believed to be an earlier variant of the name Quashan.
As the Aramaic language spread throughout the Near East and Mediterranean regions, the name Quashan also gained popularity among various ethnic and religious communities. It was adopted by several prominent figures throughout history, including Quashan ibn Abi Nasr (born c. 780 CE), a renowned scholar and mathematician who contributed to the development of algebra during the Islamic Golden Age.
Another notable individual with this name was Quashan al-Dimashqi (born c. 1260 CE), a Syrian geographer and traveler who authored several important works on the geography and history of the Middle East and North Africa. His writings provided valuable insights into the cultural and political landscapes of the region during the 13th century.
In the realm of religion, the name Quashan was also borne by Quashan of Edessa (born c. 451 CE), a prominent bishop and theologian who played a crucial role in the early development of the Syriac Orthodox Church. His writings and teachings had a lasting impact on the theological and liturgical traditions of the church.
Additionally, the name Quashan appears in various historical records and chronicles from the Byzantine Empire, where it was sometimes transliterated as "Kousanos" or "Kousantos." One such example is Quashan Doukas (born c. 1070 CE), a Byzantine nobleman and military commander who fought against the Seljuk Turks during the 11th century.
While the name Quashan has become less common in modern times, it remains a testament to the rich cultural heritage and linguistic diversity of the ancient Middle East and Mediterranean regions. Its historical significance and unique etymology serve as a reminder of the enduring connections between past and present civilizations.
People
Quashan + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Quashan as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with Q
Other first names starting with Q with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Quashan: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Quashan?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Quashan 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 Quashan a common name?
We classify Quashan 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 Quashan most popular?
The single biggest year for Quashan was 1991, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Quashan is about 34 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 Quashan in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Quashan a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Quashan 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 Quashan still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Quashan 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 Quashan 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 many people are called Quashan?
Find out how many people have the name Quashan on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.