Urbain
Of French origin meaning city-dweller, polite, or belonging to the city.
Name Census estimates that about 1 living Americans carry the first name Urbain. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Urbain today is around 140 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Urbain births was 1924 (8 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Urbain. 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.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Urbain is about 140 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Urbains were born before 1896.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Urbain. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
1
~ 1 in 342,754,338 Americans
Peak year
1924
8 babies that year
Average age
140
years old
1928 SSA rank
#3,677
Tracked since 1914
Popularity
Urbain: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Urbain from the 1910s through to the 1920s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 43 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
Urbain 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 Urbain 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 Urbain
The given name Urbain originates from the Latin name Urbanus, derived from the Latin word "urbanus" meaning "of or belonging to the city, courteous, refined." This name can be traced back to ancient Rome and the Roman Empire.
In ancient Roman times, the name Urbanus was given to those who were born or lived within the city limits of Rome or another major urban center. It signified a level of sophistication and civility associated with city life as opposed to rural living.
One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Urbanus can be found in the New Testament of the Bible. In the Epistle to the Romans, the Apostle Paul greets a man named Urbanus, whom he refers to as a "fellow worker in Christ" (Romans 16:9).
In the 3rd century AD, there was a notable Pope Urbanus I who served as the Bishop of Rome from 222 to 230 AD. He is recognized as a saint in the Catholic Church and is remembered for his efforts to organize the church's administration during a time of persecution.
Another famous bearer of the name was Urbain Grandier, a French Catholic priest who lived from 1590 to 1634. He was accused of witchcraft and executed, becoming a symbolic figure in the final period of the religious wars in France.
In the literary world, Urbain Chevreau (1613-1701) was a French writer and critic who is remembered for his works on philosophy and his contributions to the development of the French language.
The name Urbain also appears in the history of art and architecture. Urbain Vitry (1802-1865) was a French architect and theorist who played a significant role in the Gothic Revival movement in France during the 19th century.
Another notable figure was Urbain Le Verrier (1811-1877), a French mathematician and astronomer who is credited with predicting the existence and position of the planet Neptune based on mathematical calculations.
People
Urbain + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Urbain as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with U
Other first names starting with U with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Urbain: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Urbain?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Urbain 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 342,754,338 US residents.
Is Urbain a common name?
We classify Urbain as "Very Rare". It ranks above 3.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 57 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Urbain most popular?
The single biggest year for Urbain was 1924, when 8 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Urbain is about 140 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 Urbain in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Urbain a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Urbain 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 Urbain still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Urbain 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 Urbain 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 Urbain as a first name?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans are named Urbain on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.