Vann
An English variant of the French surname meaning "winnow" or "fan".
Name Census estimates that about 1,622 living Americans carry the first name Vann. It is a predominantly male name (98.8% of registrations). The average person named Vann today is around 37 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Vann births was 2009 (58 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Vann. 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
1.6K
~ 1 in 211,316 Americans
Peak year
2009
58 babies that year
Average age
37
years old
2024 SSA rank
#5,206
Tracked since 1880
Gender
Gender distribution for Vann
Vann leans heavily male at 98.8% of total registrations, but 24 girls have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Vann as a male name
- Ranked #5,206 in 2024
- 19 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2009 (58 births)
Vann as a female name
- Ranked #10,197 in 1974
- 5 female births in 1974
- Peak: 1952 (8 births)
Popularity
Vann: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Vann from the 1880s through to the 2020s, spanning 13 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 376 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Vann remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Vann 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 Vann during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Vanns live
The SSA's state-level files cover 7 states and territories. North Carolina, California, Texas recorded the most babies named Vann, while Virginia, Georgia, Florida recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 39 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Vann
The name Vann finds its origins in the ancient Armenian language, where it was derived from the word "van" meaning "monastery" or "convent". This name was particularly prevalent in the region of historical Armenia, which encompassed parts of modern-day Turkey, Iran, and the Republic of Armenia, during the early medieval period.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Vann can be found in the annals of the Armenian Apostolic Church, where a monk named Vann Vartabed (980-1051) was a prominent scholar and theologian. He is renowned for his contributions to the preservation and translation of ancient texts, as well as his role in the establishment of educational institutions.
Another notable figure bearing the name Vann was Vann Artsruni (963-1021), a prominent noble and military commander from the Artsruni dynasty. He played a significant role in the defense of Armenian territories against invasions by the Byzantine Empire and the Shaddadid dynasty.
In the realm of literature, Vann Tervandian (1866-1920) was a celebrated Armenian writer and poet. His works, which explored themes of national identity and social commentary, were influential in shaping the literary landscape of the Armenian diaspora in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Another notable figure was Vann Nouri (1892-1964), an Armenian-American artist and sculptor. He is best known for his monumental public sculptures, many of which can be found in cities across the United States, including the Armenian Memorial at the Lowell Memorial Auditorium in Massachusetts.
Vann Molyvann (1926-2017) was a renowned Cambodian architect and urban planner. He played a crucial role in shaping the modern architectural landscape of Phnom Penh, Cambodia's capital city, during the mid-20th century. His designs, which blended traditional Khmer aesthetics with modern architectural principles, have left a lasting impact on the country's built environment.
While the name Vann has its roots in the Armenian language and culture, it has also found usage in other parts of the world, often as a variant spelling or adaptation of similar-sounding names. However, the historical and cultural significance of the name remains closely tied to its Armenian origins.
People
Vann + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Vann as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with V
Other first names starting with V with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Vann: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Vann?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,622 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Vann 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 211,316 US residents.
Is Vann a common name?
We classify Vann as "Rare". It ranks above 92.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 2,057 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Vann most popular?
The single biggest year for Vann was 2009, when 58 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Vann is about 37 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Vann a male name?
Yes, 98.8% of people registered as Vann 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.
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.