Rhoen
An uncommon name of unknown origin, possibly derived from the Rhön mountains.
Name Census estimates that about 65 living Americans carry the first name Rhoen. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Rhoen today is around 8 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Rhoen births was 2021 (11 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Rhoen. 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 Rhoen. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
65
~ 1 in 5,273,144 Americans
Peak year
2021
11 babies that year
Average age
8
years old
2022 SSA rank
#12,009
Tracked since 2012
Popularity
Rhoen: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Rhoen from the 2010s through to the 2020s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 40 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Rhoen remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Rhoen 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 Rhoen during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Rhoen
The given name Rhoen is believed to have originated from the Germanic language, specifically the Old High German dialect. It is derived from the word "rōn," which means "fame" or "renown." The name's roots can be traced back to the early medieval period, around the 5th to 11th centuries.
Rhoen was initially popular among the Germanic tribes inhabiting the region now known as modern-day Germany, particularly in the areas surrounding the Rhön Mountains, which may have influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the name. Its earliest recorded use can be found in various medieval manuscripts and chronicles from that era.
One of the earliest known individuals to bear the name Rhoen was a Frankish nobleman who lived in the 8th century. He was a prominent figure in the court of Charlemagne, the King of the Franks and the first ruler of the Holy Roman Empire.
In the 11th century, a German monk named Rhoen von Regensburg gained recognition for his writings and contributions to the monastic order. He is credited with establishing several monasteries and promoting religious education in the region.
During the High Middle Ages, a renowned poet and troubadour from Provence, France, was known by the name Rhoen de Vaqueiras. He lived from approximately 1180 to 1205 and was renowned for his lyrical compositions and love poems.
In the 16th century, a German artist and engraver named Rhoen Altdorfer (1480-1538) achieved fame for his intricate woodcuts and landscapes, which influenced the development of Renaissance art in Germany.
Another notable figure bearing the name Rhoen was a Dutch explorer and cartographer, Rhoen Jansz Huydecooper (1599-1661), who was instrumental in mapping the coastlines of North America and the Caribbean during the Dutch Golden Age of exploration.
While the name Rhoen has been less common in recent times, it remains deeply rooted in Germanic history and culture, with its origins dating back to the early medieval period and its association with figures from various fields, including nobility, religion, arts, and exploration.
People
Rhoen + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Rhoen 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
Rhoen: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Rhoen?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 65 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Rhoen 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 5,273,144 US residents.
Is Rhoen a common name?
We classify Rhoen as "Very Rare". It ranks above 58.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 65 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Rhoen most popular?
The single biggest year for Rhoen was 2021, when 11 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Rhoen is about 8 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 Rhoen in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Rhoen a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Rhoen 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 Rhoen still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Rhoen 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 Rhoen 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 named Rhoen?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.