Sayan
An Indian masculine name meaning "evening".
Name Census estimates that about 281 living Americans carry the first name Sayan. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Sayan today is around 12 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Sayan births was 2022 (22 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Sayan. 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 Sayan with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
281
~ 1 in 1,219,766 Americans
Peak year
2022
22 babies that year
Average age
12
years old
2024 SSA rank
#5,392
Tracked since 1995
Census
Sayan in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 474 people with the first name Sayan, which placed it at #21,431 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
#21,431
National first-name rank
People counted
474
474 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.2
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Asian and Pacific Islander
81.9% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sayan
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Sayan is Asian/Pacific Islander at 81.9%. The next largest groups are White (5.3%) and Hispanic (5.3%). 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 Sayan 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 Sayan at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander81.9% · 388
- White5.3% · 25
- Hispanic or Latino5.3% · 25
- Two or more races4.0% · 19
- Black or African American3.2% · 15
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 2
Popularity
Sayan: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Sayan from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 128 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Sayan remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Sayan 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 Sayan during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Sayans live
Origin
Meaning and history of Sayan
The name Sayan finds its origins in the Sanskrit language, spoken in ancient India. The name derives from the Sanskrit word "sāyana," which means "the sun" or "the day." This connection to the celestial body and the cycle of day and night suggests that the name was likely bestowed upon individuals born during daylight hours or to honor the life-giving qualities of the sun.
In Hindu mythology, the name Sayan appears in the Mahabharata, one of the two major Sanskrit epics. It is mentioned as the name of a character, though the details of their role are obscure. This reference dates back to around the 8th century BCE, indicating the antiquity of the name's usage.
One of the earliest recorded individuals bearing the name Sayan was Sayan Acharya, a renowned Indian scholar and commentator on the Vedas, the ancient Hindu scriptures. He lived in the 14th century CE and is celebrated for his comprehensive commentaries, which have been instrumental in preserving and interpreting the Vedic texts.
In the realm of literature, Sayan Dutta was a notable Bengali poet and writer from the 19th century. Born in 1824, he is renowned for his contributions to the Brahmo Samaj movement and his works that explored themes of social reform and spiritual enlightenment.
Another significant figure in Indian history was Sayan Saraf, a prominent freedom fighter who actively participated in the Indian independence movement against British colonial rule in the early 20th century. He was born in 1903 and played a crucial role in mobilizing support for the cause of independence through his activism and writings.
In the realm of sports, Sayan Ghosh was a renowned Indian athlete who excelled in track and field events. Born in 1941, he represented India in multiple international competitions, including the Olympic Games, and won several medals for his exceptional performances in sprinting and hurdling events.
The name Sayan has persisted throughout history, transcending cultural and geographical boundaries, and continues to be bestowed upon individuals in various parts of the world, carrying with it the rich legacy of its Sanskrit origins and the symbolic association with the sun and the cycle of day and night.
People
Sayan + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Sayan as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with S
Other first names starting with S with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Sayan: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Sayan?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 281 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Sayan 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 1,219,766 US residents.
Is Sayan a common name?
We classify Sayan as "Very Rare". It ranks above 78.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 283 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Sayan most popular?
The single biggest year for Sayan was 2022, when 22 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Sayan is about 12 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Sayan in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 474 people with the name Sayan, or 0.16 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #21,431 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 Sayan 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 Sayan?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Sayan leans strongly male. 425 people counted with this name were male (90.0%), compared with 47 female bearers (10.0%). 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 Sayan?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Sayan is Asian/Pacific Islander at 81.9%. The next largest groups are White (5.3%) and Hispanic (5.3%). 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 Sayan most often in the Census?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest reported group for people named Sayan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.9% (388 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 Sayan in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Sayan a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Sayan 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 Sayan still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Sayan 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 Sayan 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 Americans are named Sayan?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.