Vardan
An Armenian name meaning "rose" or "flower".
Name Census estimates that about 71 living Americans carry the first name Vardan. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Vardan today is around 9 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Vardan births was 2018 (11 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Vardan. 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
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Vardan. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
71
~ 1 in 4,827,526 Americans
Peak year
2018
11 babies that year
Average age
9
years old
2024 SSA rank
#10,798
Tracked since 2005
Census
Vardan in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 716 people with the first name Vardan, which placed it at #15,916 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#15,916
National first-name rank
People counted
716
716 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.2
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
94.8% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Vardan
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Vardan is White at 94.8%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (2.7%) and Two or More Races (2.1%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Vardan described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Vardan at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.8% · 679
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.7% · 19
- Two or more races2.1% · 15
- Hispanic or Latino0.4% · 3
Popularity
Vardan: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Vardan from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 34 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
Vardan 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 Vardan during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Vardans live
Origin
Meaning and history of Vardan
The name Vardan has its origins in the Armenian language and culture, tracing back to ancient times. It is derived from the Armenian word "vard," meaning "rose," and is believed to have been initially used as a nickname or term of endearment for those with rosy complexions or associated with the beauty of roses.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Vardan can be found in the 5th century AD, when it was borne by the famous Armenian military leader and martyr, Vardan Mamikonian. He led an Armenian rebellion against the Sassanid Persians in 451 AD, fighting to preserve the Christian faith and Armenian autonomy. Despite being ultimately defeated and killed in battle, Vardan Mamikonian became a revered figure in Armenian history and folklore.
In the 7th century, another notable figure named Vardan emerged – Vardan Vardapet, an Armenian scholar and theologian. He was a prominent figure in the Armenian Apostolic Church and is credited with making significant contributions to the development of Armenian literature and religious thought.
During the Middle Ages, the name Vardan was particularly popular among the Armenian nobility and aristocracy. One prominent individual was Prince Vardan Artsruni, who ruled the Kingdom of Vaspurakan in the 10th century. He is remembered for his efforts in defending Armenian lands against invasions and promoting cultural and educational initiatives.
In the 19th century, the name Vardan gained further recognition with the Armenian writer and satirist, Vardan Aygektsi. Born in 1835, he was known for his biting social commentary and critiques of the Armenian society of his time, using humor and satire as powerful tools for social reform.
Another notable figure was Vardan Zaven, an Armenian revolutionary and one of the founders of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) in the late 19th century. He played a pivotal role in the Armenian national liberation movement and advocated for the rights and independence of the Armenian people.
Throughout its history, the name Vardan has maintained its strong connection to Armenian culture and identity, carrying a sense of resilience, courage, and dedication to preserving Armenian heritage and values.
People
Vardan + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Vardan 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
Vardan: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Vardan?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 71 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Vardan 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 4,827,526 US residents.
Is Vardan a common name?
We classify Vardan as "Very Rare". It ranks above 59.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 72 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Vardan most popular?
The single biggest year for Vardan was 2018, when 11 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Vardan is about 9 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Vardan in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 716 people with the name Vardan, or 0.24 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #15,916 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Vardan in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Vardan?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Vardan appears almost entirely male. Of the 717 people counted with this name, 99.7% were male and only a very small share were female. The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Vardan?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Vardan is White at 94.8%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (2.7%) and Two or More Races (2.1%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Vardan most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Vardan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.8% (679 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
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 Vardan in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Vardan a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Vardan 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 Vardan still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Vardan 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 Vardan 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.
How many people have the name Vardan?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.