Ridan
A variant form of the name Rida, of Arabic origin.
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Ridan. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Ridan today is around 9 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Ridan births was 2017 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Ridan. 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 Ridan. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
2017
5 babies that year
Average age
9
years old
2017 SSA rank
#13,826
Tracked since 2017
Popularity
Ridan: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Ridan 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 Ridan 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 Ridan
The name Ridan is believed to have originated from ancient Sanskrit, one of the oldest languages of the Indian subcontinent. It is thought to be derived from the Sanskrit word "rida," which means "heart" or "soul." The name is therefore believed to signify a person with a pure heart or a noble soul.
Ridan is a relatively uncommon name, but it has been recorded in various ancient Hindu texts and scriptures, such as the Vedas and the Upanishads. These texts date back to as early as the 2nd millennium BCE, suggesting that the name has been in use for thousands of years.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Ridan was a sage and philosopher who lived in ancient India around the 5th century BCE. He is believed to have been a follower of the Hindu god Vishnu and is said to have written several treatises on the concept of dharma, or righteous living.
In the 9th century CE, a renowned Hindu scholar and poet named Ridan Goswami is said to have lived in the region of Bengal, which is now part of modern-day Bangladesh and West Bengal, India. He is credited with composing several works of literature that celebrated the love and devotion of the Hindu god Krishna.
During the 12th century, a Persian scholar and mathematician named Ridan al-Tusi made significant contributions to the field of mathematics. He is known for his work on the theory of equations and his commentary on Euclid's Elements, which was widely studied in the Islamic world during that time.
In the 16th century, a Spanish explorer and navigator named Ridan de Arellano is recorded to have been part of the crew that accompanied Ferdinand Magellan on his historic circumnavigation of the globe. Arellano is said to have been one of the few survivors of the expedition after Magellan's death in the Philippines in 1521.
Ridan Kant, a German philosopher and scholar who lived in the 18th century, is also notable for his contributions to the field of metaphysics. He is known for his work on the concept of the "noumenon," which refers to the thing-in-itself, as opposed to the way it is perceived by the senses.
While the name Ridan is not as common as some other names, it has a rich history and has been borne by individuals from various cultures and backgrounds over the centuries, each leaving their mark on their respective fields and contributing to the tapestry of human knowledge and experience.
People
Ridan + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Ridan 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
Ridan: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Ridan?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Ridan 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 Ridan a common name?
We classify Ridan 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 Ridan most popular?
The single biggest year for Ridan was 2017, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Ridan is about 9 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 Ridan in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Ridan a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Ridan 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 Ridan still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Ridan 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 Ridan 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 Ridan?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.