Zahan
A name of Persian origin meaning "tongue" or "world".
Name Census estimates that about 62 living Americans carry the first name Zahan. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Zahan today is around 5 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Zahan births was 2024 (15 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Zahan. 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 Zahan with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Zahan. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
62
~ 1 in 5,528,296 Americans
Peak year
2024
15 babies that year
Average age
5
years old
2024 SSA rank
#6,159
Tracked since 2016
Popularity
Zahan: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Zahan 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 51 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
Zahan 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 Zahan 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 Zahan
The name Zahan has its origins in the Persian language and culture, dating back to the ancient Iranian civilization. It is derived from the Persian word "zahan," which means "tongue" or "speech." The name is believed to have been used as early as the 6th century AD during the Sassanid Empire, one of the most influential Persian dynasties in pre-Islamic Iran.
Zahan is a name that has appeared in several historical texts and literary works from the region. One of the earliest recorded mentions can be found in the Shahnameh, the epic Persian poem composed by the renowned poet Ferdowsi in the late 10th century AD. In this literary masterpiece, Zahan is mentioned as the name of a character, though details about their significance are scarce.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Zahan. One of the earliest recorded figures was Zahan ibn Thabit (c. 650 AD - c. 720 AD), an influential Arab scholar and poet from the Umayyad Caliphate. He was renowned for his contributions to the field of Arabic literature and linguistics.
Another prominent individual with the name Zahan was Zahan al-Attar (c. 1170 AD - c. 1230 AD), a Persian mystic and Sufi poet from Nishapur, Iran. His works, which often celebrated the virtues of love and spirituality, have been widely studied and appreciated within the Sufi tradition.
In the 14th century, Zahan al-Din Razi (c. 1310 AD - c. 1390 AD), a Persian physician and alchemist, made significant contributions to the fields of medicine and chemistry. His writings on medical treatments and pharmaceutical practices were highly influential during his time and beyond.
During the 17th century, Zahan Ghiyas Beg (c. 1590 AD - c. 1660 AD), an Indian nobleman and poet from the Mughal Empire, gained recognition for his literary works in Persian and Urdu. His poetry often explored themes of love, mysticism, and the natural world.
Another notable figure bearing the name Zahan was Zahan Khan (c. 1770 AD - c. 1845 AD), a military commander and statesman from the Durrani Empire in modern-day Afghanistan. He played a crucial role in the political and military affairs of the region during his time.
While the name Zahan has its roots in the Persian language and culture, it has been adopted and used across various regions and cultures, particularly in the Middle East and parts of South Asia, over the centuries. Its enduring presence in history reflects the rich cultural heritage and linguistic diversity of these regions.
People
Zahan + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Zahan as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with Z
Other first names starting with Z with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Zahan: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Zahan?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 62 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Zahan 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 5,528,296 US residents.
Is Zahan a common name?
We classify Zahan as "Very Rare". It ranks above 57.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 62 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Zahan most popular?
The single biggest year for Zahan was 2024, when 15 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Zahan is about 5 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 Zahan in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Zahan a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Zahan 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 Zahan still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Zahan 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 Zahan 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 share the name Zahan?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.