Boy · #8,287 in 2026

Koan

Name: Popularity of the name Koan in U.S. births, 1880–2026
Creator: U.S. Social Security Administration
License: https://www.ssa.gov/foia/
Keywords: Koan, baby name, popularity, U.S., SSA, rankings

A kōan is a story, dialogue, question, or statement from Chinese Chan Buddhist lore, supplemented with commentaries, that is used in Chan, Zen, Seon and Thiền Buddhist practice in different ways. The main goal of kōan practice in Zen is to achieve kenshō, to see or observe one's buddha-nature.

Current Rank

#8,287

Peak Rank

#8,287 (2024)

Total Babies

5-Yr Trend

+29%

2005

First Year

2024

Last Year

2024

Peak Year

#8287

Peak Rank

Total Count

Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Koan

What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →

Etymology

The Japanese word kōan is the Sino-Japanese pronunciation of the Chinese word gōng'àn 公案 (or gūng'on in Cantonese ). According to the Yuan dynasty Zen master Zhongfeng Mingben ( 中峰明本 1263–1323), gōng'àn originated as an abbreviation of gōngfǔ zhī àndú ( 公府之案牘 , Japanese kōfu no antoku ), which referred to a "public record" or the "case records of a public law court" in Tang dynasty China. Kōan / gong'an thus serves as a metaphor for principles of reality beyond the private or subjective opinion of one person, and a teacher may test the student's ability to recognize and understand that princip

The Story of Koan

Koan first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby boy name in 2005, with 5 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 2024, when 9 Koans were born — ranking #8,287 that year. As of 2026, Koan ranks #8,287 for baby boys with 9 births, rising sharply (+29% over the past five years). In total, more than 81 Koans have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 2000s through the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

Top 10

11-50

51-100

101-500

500+

No data

Names that sound like Koan

Phonetically similar names — useful when Koan 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 Koan

What does the name Koan mean?

How popular is Koan in 2026?

In 2026, Koan ranks #8,287 among boys' names in the U.S., with 9 babies given the name that year.

When was Koan most popular?

Koan reached its peak popularity in 2024, ranking #8,287 that year with 9 babies given the name.

Is Koan a unisex name?

In U.S. Social Security records, Koan is primarily a boy's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a girl's name.

What names go well with Koan?

Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Koan include Argo, Aner, Covington. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

About the name Koan

Koan is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 2005 and has accumulated 81 births in the dataset. Koan's peak popularity came in 2024 when it ranked #8,287. Use the chart and map above to compare Koan's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.

Continue exploring

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.