Sultaan
A masculine name of Arabic origin meaning "ruler" or "authority".
Name Census estimates that about 15 living Americans carry the first name Sultaan. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Sultaan today is around 4 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Sultaan births was 2019 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Sultaan. 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 Sultaan with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Sultaan. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
15
~ 1 in 22,850,289 Americans
Peak year
2019
5 babies that year
Average age
4
years old
2024 SSA rank
#13,936
Tracked since 2019
Popularity
Sultaan: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Sultaan from the 2010s through to the 2020s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 10 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Sultaan 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 Sultaan during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Sultaan
The name Sultaan is derived from the Arabic word "sultan", which means "ruler" or "sovereign". It has its origins in the Middle Eastern and Islamic cultures, and was initially used to refer to powerful rulers and leaders.
During the medieval period, the title "Sultan" was widely used by Muslim monarchs and rulers across various empires and dynasties, such as the Ottoman Empire, the Mamluk Sultanate, and the Delhi Sultanate. The name Sultaan was often given to the sons of these rulers, reflecting their royal lineage and potential claim to the throne.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Sultaan can be found in the 13th century, when Sultan Shams al-Din Iltutmish ruled over the Delhi Sultanate from 1211 to 1236. He was a former slave who rose through the ranks and established the Mamluk dynasty in India.
Another notable figure bearing the name Sultaan was Sultan Qutb-ud-din Aibak, who reigned as the first Sultan of the Mamluk dynasty in Delhi from 1206 to 1210. He played a crucial role in establishing the Delhi Sultanate and laying the foundations for future Mamluk rule in the region.
In the Ottoman Empire, one of the most famous Sultaans was Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent, who ruled from 1520 to 1566. He was known for his military conquests, legal reforms, and patronage of the arts and architecture. Under his reign, the Ottoman Empire reached its peak, and he is considered one of the greatest rulers in Ottoman history.
Another renowned figure with the name Sultaan was Sultan Salahuddin Ayubi, also known as Saladin, who ruled over Egypt and Syria in the 12th century. He is revered for his military prowess and is best known for his victory over the Crusaders in the Battle of Hattin in 1187, which led to the reconquest of Jerusalem.
In the Indian subcontinent, one of the most notable Sultaans was Sultan Alauddin Khilji, who ruled the Delhi Sultanate from 1296 to 1316. He was known for his military campaigns, administrative reforms, and the introduction of innovative policies that strengthened the economy and centralized power.
These are just a few examples of the many historical figures who bore the name Sultaan, reflecting its association with power, leadership, and royal lineage across various cultures and empires in the Middle East and beyond.
People
Sultaan + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Sultaan 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
Sultaan: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Sultaan?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 15 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Sultaan 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 22,850,289 US residents.
Is Sultaan a common name?
We classify Sultaan as "Very Rare". It ranks above 35.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 15 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Sultaan most popular?
The single biggest year for Sultaan was 2019, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Sultaan is about 4 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 Sultaan in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Sultaan a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Sultaan 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 Sultaan still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Sultaan 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 Sultaan 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 share the name Sultaan?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.