Qwen
A feminine name meaning "white wave", derived from the Welsh word "gwen".
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Qwen. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Qwen today is around 15 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Qwen births was 2011 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Qwen. 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 Qwen. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
2011
5 babies that year
Average age
15
years old
2011 SSA rank
#13,843
Tracked since 2011
Popularity
Qwen: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Qwen 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 Qwen during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Qwen
The name Qwen is a relatively rare and obscure given name with uncertain origins. Some experts suggest it may have derived from the Welsh name Gwen, which means "white" or "fair." However, others believe it could be a variant spelling or pronunciation of the English name Quinn, which has Irish roots and means "descendant of Conn."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Qwen can be traced back to the 12th century, where it appears in a medieval Welsh manuscript as a feminine form of the name Gwion. This manuscript, however, provides little context about the meaning or significance of the name at the time.
In the 16th century, a woman named Qwen ap Rhys was mentioned in a historical record from Wales. She was the daughter of a local landowner and is believed to be one of the earliest known individuals to bear the name Qwen.
During the 17th century, a Scottish poet and playwright named Qwen Mackenzie was born in 1620. She is notable for her contributions to Scottish literature and is considered one of the few female writers of her era.
In the 19th century, a British artist named Qwen Farrant gained recognition for her landscape paintings and portraits. She was born in 1845 and exhibited her works at various galleries throughout London.
Another notable figure with the name Qwen was Qwen Woodhouse, an English suffragette and women's rights activist born in 1872. She played a significant role in the campaign for women's suffrage in the United Kingdom and was arrested several times for her involvement in protests and civil disobedience.
While the name Qwen has remained relatively uncommon throughout history, these examples demonstrate its sporadic appearances across different cultures and time periods, albeit with limited information about its precise origins and meaning.
People
Qwen + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Qwen 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
Qwen: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Qwen?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Qwen 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 Qwen a common name?
We classify Qwen 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 Qwen most popular?
The single biggest year for Qwen was 2011, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Qwen is about 15 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 Qwen in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Qwen a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Qwen 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 Qwen still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Qwen 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 Qwen 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 share the name Qwen?
Want to know how many people have the name Qwen? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.