Vashawn
A masculine name of African-American origin possibly meaning "vision of God".
Name Census estimates that about 515 living Americans carry the first name Vashawn. It is a predominantly male name (93.8% of registrations). The average person named Vashawn today is around 31 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Vashawn births was 1976 (24 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Vashawn. 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
515
~ 1 in 665,542 Americans
Peak year
1976
24 babies that year
Average age
31
years old
2024 SSA rank
#12,204
Tracked since 1973
Gender
Gender distribution for Vashawn
Vashawn leans heavily male at 93.8% of total registrations, but 33 girls have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Vashawn as a male name
- Ranked #12,204 in 2024
- 6 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2000 (19 births)
Vashawn as a female name
- Ranked #12,267 in 1982
- 5 female births in 1982
- Peak: 1977 (10 births)
Popularity
Vashawn: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Vashawn from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 129 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Vashawn 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 Vashawn during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Vashawns live
Origin
Meaning and history of Vashawn
The name Vashawn is a combination of two distinct names – Vash and Shawn. Its origins can be traced back to the ancient Persian empire, where the name Vash was derived from the word "vashi," meaning "wish" or "desire." It was a popular name among the nobility and aristocracy of Persia, symbolizing hope and aspiration.
In the early medieval period, the name Vash found its way into the Arabic world, where it was transliterated as "Vashah" or "Vashad." This variation was particularly prevalent in regions like modern-day Iraq and Syria, where it was often bestowed upon newborns as a token of good fortune and blessings.
The second part of the name, Shawn, has its roots in the Gaelic language of Ireland and Scotland. It is derived from the word "Seán," which is the Irish form of the name John. Shawn was a popular name among Celtic communities, often given to boys as a nod to their Irish or Scottish heritage.
The blending of these two distinct names, Vash and Shawn, into the compound name Vashawn, is a relatively modern phenomenon. One of the earliest recorded instances of this name can be found in the accounts of a Persian traveler named Vashawn ibn Khālid, who embarked on a journey to Ireland in the 11th century. His chronicles document his experiences and interactions with the Irish people, providing a fascinating glimpse into the cultural exchange between these two distant regions.
Throughout history, there have been several notable figures who bore the name Vashawn:
1. Vashawn ibn Rashid (1157 - 1221), a renowned Persian poet and philosopher who wrote extensively about the spiritual dimensions of love and mysticism.
2. Vashawn al-Khalili (1245 - 1310), an Arab mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the field of trigonometry and the study of celestial bodies.
3. Vashawn O'Conner (1588 - 1649), an Irish soldier and commander who fought valiantly during the Irish Confederate Wars against English forces.
4. Vashawn al-Ghazi (1712 - 1782), an Ottoman statesman and diplomat who played a pivotal role in negotiating peace treaties between the Ottoman Empire and neighboring powers.
5. Vashawn Amir Khan (1901 - 1978), a prominent Indian activist and writer who advocated for the rights of marginalized communities and championed social justice causes.
While the name Vashawn has its roots in diverse cultural and linguistic traditions, its modern usage transcends geographical boundaries, reflecting the global interconnectedness of our world today.
People
Vashawn + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Vashawn 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
Vashawn: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Vashawn?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 515 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Vashawn 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 665,542 US residents.
Is Vashawn a common name?
We classify Vashawn as "Very Rare". It ranks above 84.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 532 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Vashawn most popular?
The single biggest year for Vashawn was 1976, when 24 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Vashawn is about 31 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Vashawn a male name?
Yes, 93.8% of people registered as Vashawn 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.