Yasen
A masculine Bulgarian name meaning "jasmine" or "flowering jasmine".
Name Census estimates that about 11 living Americans carry the first name Yasen. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Yasen today is around 15 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Yasen births was 2013 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Yasen. 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 Yasen with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Yasen. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
11
~ 1 in 31,159,485 Americans
Peak year
2013
6 babies that year
Average age
15
years old
2013 SSA rank
#12,069
Tracked since 2009
Popularity
Yasen: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Yasen from the 2000s through to the 2010s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 6 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
Yasen 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 Yasen 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 Yasen
The given name Yasen has its origins in the Slavic languages, specifically Bulgarian and Russian. It is derived from the word "yasen," which means "ash tree" in these languages. The name likely emerged during the early medieval period, when Slavic populations were predominantly pagan and revered nature and its elements.
In ancient Slavic mythology, the ash tree held a sacred significance. It was believed to connect the realms of the living and the dead, representing the cycle of life and rebirth. Consequently, the name Yasen may have been bestowed upon infants as a symbol of resilience, strength, and the perpetuation of life.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Yasen can be traced back to the 10th and 11th centuries in various Slavic regions, particularly in present-day Bulgaria and Russia. It appeared in historical chronicles and records of noble families, indicating its usage among the aristocracy and ruling classes.
One of the earliest notable figures bearing the name Yasen was Yasen Radomirov, a Bulgarian nobleman and military commander who lived in the late 10th century. He played a crucial role in the defense of the Bulgarian Empire against the Byzantine invasions during the reign of Tsar Samuil.
Another prominent historical figure was Yasen Grushetsky, a Russian military leader and explorer who lived in the 17th century. He led several expeditions to Siberia and was instrumental in the expansion of the Russian Empire eastward.
In the realm of literature, Yasen Gatzov was a renowned Bulgarian poet and writer who lived from 1873 to 1928. His works celebrated the beauty of nature and the resilience of the human spirit, reflecting the essence of his name.
Yasen Kusev, a Bulgarian actor and director born in 1928 and passed away in 2018, was celebrated for his contributions to the theater and film industries. He was widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in Bulgarian cultural life.
Finally, Yasen Petrov was a Bulgarian astronaut and the first Bulgarian to travel to space. He participated in the Mir space station program in 1988 and made significant contributions to the advancement of space exploration.
These historical figures, spanning various centuries and disciplines, exemplify the enduring presence and significance of the name Yasen within Slavic cultures and beyond.
People
Yasen + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Yasen as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with Y
Other first names starting with Y with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Yasen: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Yasen?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 11 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Yasen 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 31,159,485 US residents.
Is Yasen a common name?
We classify Yasen as "Very Rare". It ranks above 30.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 11 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Yasen most popular?
The single biggest year for Yasen was 2013, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Yasen is about 15 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 Yasen in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Yasen a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Yasen 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 Yasen still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Yasen 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 Yasen 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 common is the name Yasen?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.