Kagan
Kagan is a name with a single cultural origin: Turkish.
- Turkish
Meaning & Origin of Kagan
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Kagan is a name with a single cultural origin: Turkish.
Origin data from Behind the Name .
Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)
- Turkish
The Story of Kagan
As a girl name
Kagan first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a girl name in 1989, with 6 babies given the name that year. The name hit its high-water mark in 1994: 10 births, good for #8,124 nationwide. The 2000s were its strongest decade, accounting for roughly 42% of all recorded Kagans. Its most recent appearance in the national data came in 2016 (5 births); the name has since faded from the published rankings. In total, more than 73 Kagans have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1980s through the 2020s.
As a boy name
The earliest SSA record of Kagan as a boy name dates back to 1978, when 5 babies received it. 2001 was its biggest year on record, with 36 newborns named Kagan — #2,618 in the national rankings. The 2000s were its strongest decade, accounting for roughly 40% of all recorded Kagans. In the latest 2025 data it stands at #7,971 among boy names with 5 births, falling sharply (-52%). In total, more than 651 Kagans have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1970s through the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Names that sound like Kagan
Phonetically similar names — useful when Kagan is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Kagan
What does the name Kagan mean?
What is the origin of the name Kagan?
How popular is Kagan in 2026?
When was Kagan most popular?
In which U.S. states is Kagan most popular?
Is Kagan a unisex name?
What names go well with Kagan?
About the name Kagan
Kagan is a unisex baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1978 and has accumulated 651 births in the dataset. Kagan's peak popularity came in 2001 when it ranked #2,618. Use the chart and map above to compare Kagan's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 2001 →
- Names of the 2000s →
- Names starting with "K" →
- Browse all boy names →
- Top names of 2026 →
- Browse unisex names →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
- Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.