Roshan
A masculine name of Sanskrit origin meaning "light" or "bright".
Name Census estimates that about 1,843 living Americans carry the first name Roshan. It is a predominantly male name (93.2% of registrations). The average person named Roshan today is around 24 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Roshan births was 2010 (64 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Roshan. 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 Roshan with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
1.8K
~ 1 in 185,976 Americans
Peak year
2010
64 babies that year
Average age
24
years old
2024 SSA rank
#3,754
Tracked since 1961
Census
Roshan in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 3,710 people with the first name Roshan, which placed it at #4,846 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
#4,846
National first-name rank
People counted
3.7K
3,710 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
1.2
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Asian and Pacific Islander
79.4% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Roshan
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Roshan is Asian/Pacific Islander at 79.4%. The next largest groups are White (6.8%) and Black (6.1%). 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 Roshan 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 Roshan at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander79.4% · 2,947
- White6.8% · 253
- Black or African American6.1% · 225
- Two or more races5.8% · 217
- Hispanic or Latino1.4% · 51
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 17
Gender
Gender distribution for Roshan
Roshan leans heavily male at 93.2% of total registrations, but 129 girls have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Roshan as a male name
- Ranked #3,754 in 2024
- 30 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2010 (64 births)
Roshan as a female name
- Ranked #17,280 in 2022
- 5 female births in 2022
- Peak: 1976 (10 births)
2020 Census snapshot
In the 2020 Census sex table, Roshan leans strongly male. 3,005 people counted with this name were male (81.0%), compared with 703 female bearers (19.0%).
Popularity
Roshan: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Roshan from the 1960s through to the 2020s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 577 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
Roshan 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 Roshan during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Roshans live
The SSA's state-level files cover 15 states and territories. California, New York, New Jersey recorded the most babies named Roshan, while Pennsylvania, Ohio, Missouri recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 41 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Roshan
The name Roshan has its origins in the Persian language and culture, with roots dating back to ancient times. It is derived from the Persian word "roshan," which means "light" or "bright." This name has been popular in regions where Persian influence has been strong, including parts of Central Asia, the Middle East, and the Indian subcontinent.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Roshan can be found in the Avestan texts, the sacred scriptures of Zoroastrianism, an ancient Iranian religion. In these texts, the name is mentioned in the context of divine beings and celestial entities associated with light and illumination.
Throughout history, the name Roshan has been borne by several notable individuals. One of the earliest known figures with this name was Roshan Mirza, a Persian prince and military commander who lived in the 16th century. He played a significant role in the wars between the Safavid and Ottoman empires.
Another prominent figure was Roshan Ara Begum, a Mughal princess and poet who lived in the 17th century. She was known for her exceptional literary talents and contributed to the rich cultural heritage of the Mughal Empire.
In the 19th century, Roshan Khan was a renowned Afghan military leader and statesman who played a crucial role in the struggle against British imperialism. His bravery and strategic acumen earned him a place in the annals of Afghan history.
During the 20th century, Roshan Ara Begum, a Pakistani activist and social worker, dedicated her life to empowering women and promoting education in her country. Her efforts earned her widespread recognition and numerous awards.
More recently, Roshan Mustafa Ghazi was a renowned Pakistani artist and calligrapher who made significant contributions to the art world. His works are celebrated for their intricate designs and mastery of traditional Islamic calligraphic styles.
While the name Roshan has its roots in the Persian language and culture, it has gained popularity across various regions and communities over the centuries. The name's association with light, brightness, and illumination has resonated with people from diverse backgrounds, making it a timeless and meaningful choice for parents.
People
Roshan + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Roshan 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
Roshan: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Roshan?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,843 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Roshan 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 185,976 US residents.
Is Roshan a common name?
We classify Roshan as "Rare". It ranks above 93.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,886 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Roshan most popular?
The single biggest year for Roshan was 2010, when 64 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Roshan is about 24 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Roshan in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 3,710 people with the name Roshan, or 1.23 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #4,846 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 Roshan 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 Roshan?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Roshan leans strongly male. 3,005 people counted with this name were male (81.0%), compared with 703 female bearers (19.0%). 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 Roshan?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Roshan is Asian/Pacific Islander at 79.4%. The next largest groups are White (6.8%) and Black (6.1%). 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 Roshan most often in the Census?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest reported group for people named Roshan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 79.4% (2,947 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 Roshan in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Roshan a male name?
Yes, 93.2% of people registered as Roshan 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 Roshan still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Roshan 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 Roshan 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 common is the name Roshan?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans are named Roshan at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.