Rhian
A Welsh feminine name probably derived from a Celtic word meaning "maiden".
Name Census estimates that about 996 living Americans carry the first name Rhian. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 87.6% of registrations being female. The average person named Rhian today is around 20 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Rhian births was 2007 (64 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Rhian. 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 Rhian with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
996
~ 1 in 344,131 Americans
Peak year
2007
64 babies that year
Average age
20
years old
2021 SSA rank
#10,882
Tracked since 1977
Census
Rhian in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 1,012 people with the first name Rhian, which placed it at #12,335 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
#12,335
National first-name rank
People counted
1.0K
1,012 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.3
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
48.0% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rhian
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Rhian is White at 48.0%. The next largest groups are Black (28.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (9.0%). 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 Rhian 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 Rhian at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White48.0% · 486
- Black or African American28.8% · 291
- Asian and Pacific Islander9.0% · 91
- Two or more races7.3% · 74
- Hispanic or Latino6.2% · 63
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 7
Gender
Gender distribution for Rhian
Rhian leans heavily female at 87.6% of total registrations, but 126 boys have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Rhian as a male name
- Ranked #11,830 in 2021
- 6 male births in 2021
- Peak: 1977 (10 births)
Rhian as a female name
- Ranked #10,882 in 2024
- 9 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2007 (59 births)
2020 Census snapshot
In the 2020 Census sex table, Rhian leans strongly female. 846 people counted with this name were female (83.7%), compared with 165 male bearers (16.3%).
Popularity
Rhian: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Rhian from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 384 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Rhian 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 Rhian during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Rhians live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. Texas, California, Ohio recorded the most babies named Rhian, while Ohio, California, Texas recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 25 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Rhian
The name Rhian is a Welsh name that has its origins in the ancient Celtic language spoken in parts of Britain and continental Europe. It is believed to be derived from the Welsh word "rhiain," meaning "maiden" or "young woman." This suggests that the name may have been used to refer to unmarried women or girls in the early days of Welsh culture.
In terms of historical references, the name Rhian is not prominently featured in ancient texts or religious scriptures. However, it has been documented in various Welsh records and literature over the centuries, reflecting its enduring presence in the Welsh cultural landscape.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Rhian can be found in the Welsh manuscript known as the "Black Book of Carmarthen," which dates back to the late 12th or early 13th century. This manuscript contains a collection of Welsh poetry and folklore, indicating that the name was in use during that time period.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Rhian. Among them is Rhian Gillian Davies (1926-2003), a Welsh actress known for her roles in various British television series and films. Another prominent figure was Rhian Williams (1937-2019), a Welsh-born American computer scientist and educator who made significant contributions to the field of computer programming languages.
Another historical figure worth mentioning is Rhian Benson (1925-2018), a Welsh painter and printmaker renowned for her landscapes and portraiture. Her works are held in various collections, including the National Museum of Wales and the Tate Gallery in London.
In the realm of literature, the name Rhian was borne by Rhian Navin, a Welsh author and playwright who lived from 1930 to 2002. Her works explored themes of Welsh identity and culture, and she was an influential figure in the Welsh literary scene of the 20th century.
Lastly, Rhian Wilkinson (born 1982) is a notable Canadian soccer player and coach. She played as a defender for the Canadian national team and participated in multiple FIFA Women's World Cup tournaments, earning over 180 caps for her country.
These examples showcase the enduring presence of the name Rhian across various fields, including the arts, sciences, and sports, throughout different time periods and geographical locations.
People
Rhian + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Rhian as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with R
Other first names starting with R with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Rhian: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Rhian?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 996 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Rhian 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 344,131 US residents.
Is Rhian a common name?
We classify Rhian as "Very Rare". It ranks above 90.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,015 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Rhian most popular?
The single biggest year for Rhian was 2007, when 64 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Rhian is about 20 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Rhian in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 1,012 people with the name Rhian, or 0.34 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #12,335 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 Rhian 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 Rhian?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Rhian leans strongly female. 846 people counted with this name were female (83.7%), compared with 165 male bearers (16.3%). 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 Rhian?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Rhian is White at 48.0%. The next largest groups are Black (28.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (9.0%). 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 Rhian most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Rhian in the 2020 Census, accounting for 48.0% (486 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 Rhian in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Rhian a female name?
Yes, 87.6% of people registered as Rhian 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 Rhian still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Rhian 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 Rhian 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 are called Rhian?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.