boys' name ★ peaked 2025

Sultan

Gender Boy Rank 2025 #1,243 Trend ↑ Rising 38%
Rank 2025
#1,243
among boys · ↑49 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
161
named Sultan · +6% vs 2024
How common
1 in 10,609
boys born in 2025
Peak year
2025
161 babies
All-time total
2,396
#2,951 all-time among boys
First recorded
1966
in Social Security records

Sultan popularity over time

2,396 babies have been named Sultan since 1966, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.030.050.080.118801900192019401960198020002020Peak 2025Boys

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Boys Per year Change Best rank
1880s – – – –
1890s – – – –
1900s – – – –
1910s – – – –
1920s – – – –
1930s – – – –
1940s – – – –
1950s – – – –
1960s 9 1 – #2,958
1970s 158 16 +1656% #1,818
1980s 166 17 +5% #2,491
1990s 238 24 +43% #2,640
2000s 293 29 +23% #2,476
2010s 716 72 +144% #1,564
2020s (to 2025) 816 136 +90% #1,243

Where Sultan is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 boys Implied rank
2026 171 0.10 outside top 500
2027 180 0.11 outside top 500
2028 188 0.11 outside top 500
2029 195 0.11 outside top 500
2030 201 0.12 outside top 500

Where Sultan is most popular

Boys named Sultan per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.080 per 1,000. Strongest in Virginia, New York, and Illinois.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are boys named Sultan born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Boys 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Virginia 57 0.300 +273%
New York 84 0.194 +141%
Illinois 45 0.176 +119%
Michigan 31 0.151 +88%
California 91 0.100 +24%
New Jersey 19 0.094 +17%
Ohio 22 0.083 ≈ national
Texas 72 0.082 ≈ national
Pennsylvania 17 0.064 -20%
Maryland 7 0.059 -27%
Florida 20 0.042 -48%
Washington 6 0.037 -54%
Arizona 6 0.037 -54%
North Carolina 9 0.035 -56%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Arkansas – – –
Colorado – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Georgia – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Indiana – – –
Kansas – – –
Kentucky – – –
Louisiana – – –
Massachusetts – – –
Maine – – –
Minnesota – – –
Missouri – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Oregon – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
South Dakota – – –
Tennessee – – –
Utah – – –
Vermont – – –
Wisconsin – – –
West Virginia – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Sultan

Sultan is uncommon for boys in the United States, ranked #1,243 in 2025 with 161 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1966, 2,396 American babies have been named Sultan. Its peak came in 2025, when 161 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2020s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Sultan stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Sultan?

The median living Sultan is about 9 years old; half are between 4 and 24. An estimated 2,400 people named Sultan are alive in the United States today.

median 9 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Sultan year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Boys Boys rank
2025 161 #1,243
2024 152 #1,292
2023 128 #1,429
2022 145 #1,307
2021 109 #1,590
2020 121 #1,435
2019 102 #1,621
2018 108 #1,564
2017 92 #1,715
2016 98 #1,637
2015 70 #2,049
2014 58 #2,294
2013 49 #2,520
2012 55 #2,353
2011 43 #2,788
2010 41 #2,908
2009 35 #3,264
2008 25 #4,126
2007 18 #5,183
2006 27 #3,770
2005 32 #3,229
2004 34 #3,007
2003 26 #3,513
2002 34 #2,812
2001 40 #2,476
2000 22 #3,744
1995 26 #2,839
1990 18 #3,442
1985 21 #2,491
1980 15 #3,080
1975 26 #1,880
1970 – –
1965 – –
1960 – –
1955 – –
1950 – –
1945 – –
1940 – –
1935 – –
1930 – –
1925 – –
1920 – –
1915 – –
1910 – –
1905 – –
1900 – –
1895 – –
1890 – –
1885 – –
1880 – –

Famous people named Sultan

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Sultan Kösen Sultan Kösen Tallest living man (born 1982) Contemporary
  2. 2 Sultan bin Muhammad Al-Qasimi Sultan bin Muhammad Al-Qasimi 11th Ruler of the Emirate of Sharjah b. 1939 · Contemporary
  3. 3 Sultan bin Salman Al Saud Sultan bin Salman Al Saud Saudi Arabian royal, astronaut, and government official (born 1956) Contemporary
  4. 4 Sultan Rahi Pakistani actor 1938–1996 · Contemporary
  5. 5 Sultan Ibragimov Russian boxer (born 1975) Contemporary
  6. 6 Sultan Husayn Bayqara Sultan Husayn Bayqara Timurid ruler of Herat (c.1469–1506) 1438–1506 · Medieval
  7. 7 Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al Saud Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al Saud Saudi royal and politician (1925–2011) 1928–2011 · Contemporary
  8. 8 Sultan Husayn Sultan Husayn Safavid Shah of Iran from 1694 to 1722 1668–1726 · 17th century
  9. 9 Sultan Cem Sultan Cem Claimant to the Ottoman throne (1459–1495) Medieval

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Sultan, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Sultan?

The median living Sultan is about 9 years old. Half of all living Sultans are between 4 and 24 years old.

How many people named Sultan are alive today?

An estimated 2,400 people named Sultan are alive in the United States, based on 2,396 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

How popular is the name Sultan in 2025?

Sultan ranked #1,243 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 161 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Sultan?

2,396 babies have been named Sultan in the United States since 1966, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Sultan most popular?

Sultan peaked in 2025, when 161 newborns received the name.

Is Sultan a boy or girl name?

Sultan is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Sultan rising or falling?

Sultan is on the rise, noticeably more popular now than a decade ago.

Will Sultan become more popular?

Sultan is trending upward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 201 boys named Sultan in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Sultan?

Well-known people named Sultan include Sultan Kösen (celebrity), Sultan bin Muhammad Al-Qasimi (politician), Sultan bin Salman Al Saud (politician).

Names like Sultan

Names that sound and feel close to Sultan: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Sultan with similar names → More names starting with S →