Sayhan
A gender-neutral Arabic name meaning "bright light" or "illumination".
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Sayhan. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Sayhan today is around 9 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Sayhan births was 2017 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Sayhan. 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 Sayhan with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Sayhan. 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
#13,907
Tracked since 2017
Popularity
Sayhan: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Sayhan 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 Sayhan 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 Sayhan
The name Sayhan is believed to have originated in the Middle East, likely from the Arabic or Persian languages. Its roots can be traced back to ancient times, possibly derived from the Arabic word "sayhin" which means "bright" or "shining."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Sayhan can be found in ancient Persian texts from the 7th century. These texts mention a ruler named Sayhan ibn Abi al-Aas, who governed a region in what is now modern-day Iran during the early years of the Islamic caliphate.
In the 10th century, a renowned Islamic scholar and philosopher named Sayhan al-Baghdadi made significant contributions to the fields of mathematics, astronomy, and logic. He was born in Baghdad in 940 CE and his works were widely studied throughout the Middle Ages.
During the 13th century, a Sufi mystic and poet named Sayhan al-Din Farid al-Din Attar gained recognition for his spiritual writings and verses. He was born in Nishapur, a city in northeastern Iran, and his poetry often explored themes of love, devotion, and the mystical path.
In the 16th century, an Ottoman calligrapher and artist named Sayhan Karahisari gained fame for his intricate and beautiful calligraphic works. He was born in the city of Karahisar (present-day Turkey) and served as the chief calligrapher for several Ottoman sultans.
Another notable figure named Sayhan was a Persian military commander who lived in the 17th century. Sayhan Khan Qurchi was a skilled archer and leader who played a significant role in the wars between the Safavid and Mughal empires, serving under the Safavid Shah Abbas I.
Throughout history, the name Sayhan has been associated with individuals who made notable contributions in various fields, including literature, philosophy, art, and military leadership. While its exact origins may be uncertain, the name carries a rich cultural heritage and a connection to the diverse traditions of the Middle East.
People
Sayhan + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Sayhan 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
Sayhan: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Sayhan?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Sayhan 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 Sayhan a common name?
We classify Sayhan 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 Sayhan most popular?
The single biggest year for Sayhan was 2017, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Sayhan 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 Sayhan in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Sayhan a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Sayhan 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 Sayhan still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Sayhan 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 Sayhan 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 have the name Sayhan?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.