Vukan
A masculine given name of Slavic origin meaning "wolf".
Name Census estimates that about 14 living Americans carry the first name Vukan. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Vukan today is around 4 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Vukan births was 2023 (9 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Vukan. 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 Vukan with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Vukan. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
14
~ 1 in 24,482,453 Americans
Peak year
2023
9 babies that year
Average age
4
years old
2023 SSA rank
#8,863
Tracked since 2019
Popularity
Vukan: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Vukan 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 9 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
Vukan 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 Vukan 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 Vukan
The name Vukan has its origins in the Serbian language and culture, dating back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old Slavic word "vuk," meaning "wolf." The name was particularly popular among the medieval Serbian nobility and royalty.
One of the earliest references to the name Vukan can be found in the medieval Serbian epic poem "The Mountain Wreath" by Petar Petrović Njegoš. The poem, written in the 19th century, features a character named Vukan, who is depicted as a brave and heroic figure.
The first recorded instance of the name Vukan dates back to the 11th century, when a Serbian nobleman named Vukan Nemanjić lived during the reign of the Byzantine Empire. He was a member of the powerful Nemanjić dynasty, which ruled over the medieval Serbian lands.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Vukan. One of the most famous was Vukan Radović (1908-1986), a Serbian painter and sculptor who was known for his abstract and cubist works. His art was heavily influenced by the avant-garde movements of the early 20th century.
Another prominent bearer of the name was Vukan Nedeljković (1920-1986), a Serbian writer and poet. He was a member of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts and is considered one of the most influential literary figures in modern Serbian literature.
In the 14th century, there was a Serbian ruler named Vukan Branković (1345-1397), who served as the King of Prilep and Velbužd, regions that are now part of modern-day North Macedonia. He played a significant role in the political and military affairs of the Serbian Empire during his reign.
Vukan Mihailović (1826-1900) was a Serbian writer and playwright who is best known for his historical dramas and plays depicting the lives of notable figures from Serbian history, such as Prince Lazar and Miloš Obilić.
While the name Vukan has its roots in Serbian culture, it has also been adopted and used in other Slavic countries and regions over the centuries, though its prevalence and popularity may have varied.
People
Vukan + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Vukan 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
Vukan: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Vukan?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 14 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Vukan 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 24,482,453 US residents.
Is Vukan a common name?
We classify Vukan as "Very Rare". It ranks above 34% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 14 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Vukan most popular?
The single biggest year for Vukan was 2023, when 9 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Vukan 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 Vukan in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Vukan a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Vukan 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 Vukan still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Vukan 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 Vukan 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 Americans are named Vukan?
See how many people share the name Vukan on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.