Xenon
A rare noble gas from Greek words meaning "stranger" or "guest".
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Xenon. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Xenon today is around 9 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Xenon births was 2017 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Xenon. 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 Xenon with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Xenon. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
2017
5 babies that year
Average age
9
years old
2017 SSA rank
#14,159
Tracked since 2017
Popularity
Xenon: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Xenon 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 Xenon during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Xenon
The name Xenon has its origins in Ancient Greek, where it was derived from the word "xenos," meaning "stranger" or "foreigner." This name likely emerged during the classical period of Greek civilization, which spanned from the 8th century BC to the 6th century AD.
While the name Xenon itself does not appear to have been widely used in ancient times, the concept of a "xenos" was an important one in Greek culture. In ancient Greek society, hospitality towards strangers and foreigners was highly valued, and the concept of the "xenos" was closely tied to the notion of guest-friendship.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the word "xenos" can be found in Homer's epic poems, the Iliad and the Odyssey, which date back to around the 8th century BC. In these works, the concept of guest-friendship and the treatment of strangers and foreigners is a recurring theme.
While there are no known historical figures specifically named Xenon from ancient times, the name has been used sporadically throughout history. One notable individual was Xenon of Citium, a Greek philosopher who lived in the 4th century BC and was a follower of the Cynic school of thought.
In more recent history, the name Xenon gained some popularity in the 20th century, particularly in scientific circles. This is likely due to its association with the chemical element xenon, which was discovered in 1898 and named after the Greek word "xenos" because of its rarity and unusual properties.
One prominent individual named Xenon was Xenon Pavlovich Kudryavtsev, a Soviet physicist and engineer who played a key role in the development of nuclear weapons and nuclear power in the Soviet Union. He lived from 1912 to 1991.
Another notable figure was Xenon T. Avery, an American cartoonist and animator who worked for Warner Bros. and MGM studios in the mid-20th century. He was born in 1911 and passed away in 1992.
In the field of literature, Xenon Tochilin was a Russian-American author and translator who was born in 1926 and died in 2012. He is best known for his translations of works by Russian authors such as Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn and Boris Pasternak.
Finally, Xenon Coderre was a Canadian ice hockey player who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) during the 1980s and 1990s. He was born in 1960 and played for several teams, including the Detroit Red Wings and the New York Rangers.
People
Xenon + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Xenon as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with X
Other first names starting with X with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Xenon: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Xenon?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Xenon 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 68,550,868 US residents.
Is Xenon a common name?
We classify Xenon as "Very Rare". It ranks above 18.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Xenon most popular?
The single biggest year for Xenon was 2017, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Xenon is about 9 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 Xenon in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Xenon a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Xenon 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 Xenon still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Xenon 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 Xenon 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 are called Xenon?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.