Sequoyah
Invented by Sequoyah himself, it means "he who invents".
Name Census estimates that about 649 living Americans carry the first name Sequoyah. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 70.0% of registrations being female. The average person named Sequoyah today is around 26 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Sequoyah births was 1999 (35 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Sequoyah. 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.
People living today
649
~ 1 in 528,127 Americans
Peak year
1999
35 babies that year
Average age
26
years old
2023 SSA rank
#13,835
Tracked since 1919
Gender
Gender distribution for Sequoyah
Sequoyah is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 671 total registrations, 201 (30.0%) were male and 470 (70.0%) were female.
Sequoyah as a male name
- Ranked #13,835 in 2023
- 5 male births in 2023
- Peak: 1999 (15 births)
Sequoyah as a female name
- Ranked #14,948 in 2024
- 6 female births in 2024
- Peak: 1997 (23 births)
Popularity
Sequoyah: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Sequoyah from the 1910s through to the 2020s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 243 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1990s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Sequoyah 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 Sequoyah during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Sequoyahs live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. Georgia, California, Oklahoma recorded the most babies named Sequoyah, while Oklahoma, California, Georgia recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 10 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Sequoyah
The name Sequoyah is derived from the Cherokee language and is associated with the creator of the Cherokee writing system, Sequoyah (c. 1770-1843), who was a Cherokee silversmith and soldier. The name "Sequoyah" is believed to be a translation of his Cherokee name, which means "pig's foot" or "he who lays things in order".
The name's origins can be traced back to the Cherokee people, an Indigenous American tribe that traditionally lived in the Southeastern United States. Sequoyah himself was born in the Cherokee village of Tuskee, located in the present-day state of Tennessee.
Sequoyah is renowned for his creation of the Cherokee syllabary, a writing system that enabled the Cherokee language to be written down for the first time. This remarkable achievement is considered one of the most significant intellectual accomplishments in the history of the Cherokee Nation.
Apart from Sequoyah himself, there are a few notable historical figures who bore this name. One such figure was Sequoyah Stidham (1890-1980), a Cherokee author and educator who played a significant role in preserving the Cherokee language and culture.
Another noteworthy individual was Sequoyah Guess (1888-1962), a renowned Cherokee artist and sculptor who was renowned for his intricate woodcarvings and sculptures depicting Cherokee life and traditions.
Additionally, Sequoyah Chewey (1859-1935) was a prominent Cherokee leader and activist who advocated for the rights and self-determination of the Cherokee people during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Sequoyah Cooley (1845-1925) was a respected Cherokee medicine man and spiritual leader who played a crucial role in preserving traditional Cherokee healing practices and spiritual beliefs.
While the name Sequoyah has its roots in the Cherokee culture, it has gained popularity and recognition beyond its original context, serving as a testament to the enduring legacy of Sequoyah and his groundbreaking contribution to the preservation of the Cherokee language and culture.
People
Sequoyah + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Sequoyah 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
Sequoyah: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Sequoyah?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 649 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Sequoyah 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 528,127 US residents.
Is Sequoyah a common name?
We classify Sequoyah as "Very Rare". It ranks above 86.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 671 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Sequoyah most popular?
The single biggest year for Sequoyah was 1999, when 35 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Sequoyah is about 26 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Sequoyah a female name?
Yes, 70.0% of people registered as Sequoyah in the SSA data are female. 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.
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.