boys' name ★ peaked 1949

Vaughn

Meaning small Gender Boy · 5% girls Rank 2025 #1,153 Trend → Stable

A variant of Vaughan, from Welsh bychan (“small”).

Rank 2025
#1,153
among boys · ↑35 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
204
named Vaughn · +8% vs 2024
How common
1 in 9,334
boys born in 2025
Peak year
1949
385 babies
All-time total
22,484
#808 all-time among boys
First recorded
1881
in Social Security records

Vaughn popularity over time

22,484 babies have been named Vaughn since 1881, 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
0.060.130.190.2518801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
BoysGirls

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 Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s – 10 10 1 – #986
1890s – 61 61 6 +510% #628
1900s 13 142 155 16 +154% #520
1910s 57 851 908 91 +486% #503
1920s 86 1,262 1,348 135 +48% #514
1930s 178 1,263 1,441 144 +7% #478
1940s 102 2,382 2,484 248 +72% #348
1950s 93 2,432 2,525 253 +2% #361
1960s 75 2,548 2,623 262 +4% #457
1970s 25 1,606 1,631 163 -38% #534
1980s 29 1,453 1,482 148 -9% #674
1990s 64 1,702 1,766 177 +19% #717
2000s 92 2,325 2,417 242 +37% #737
2010s 188 2,266 2,454 245 +2% #862
2020s (to 2025) 118 1,061 1,179 197 -20% #1,104

Where Vaughn 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 182 0.11 outside top 500
2027 182 0.11 outside top 500
2028 182 0.11 outside top 500
2029 181 0.11 outside top 500
2030 181 0.11 outside top 500

Where Vaughn is most popular

Boys named Vaughn per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.102 per 1,000. Strongest in Colorado, Michigan, and Minnesota.

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 Vaughn 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
Colorado 28 0.217 +113%
Michigan 43 0.210 +106%
Minnesota 20 0.163 +60%
Washington 26 0.159 +56%
Indiana 24 0.150 +47%
Pennsylvania 39 0.147 +44%
Illinois 34 0.133 +30%
Ohio 34 0.128 +26%
Utah 12 0.126 +23%
California 108 0.118 +16%
Wisconsin 13 0.110 +8%
New Jersey 19 0.094 -7%
Missouri 13 0.094 -8%
Kansas 6 0.087 -14%
Texas 77 0.087 -14%
Florida 41 0.087 -15%
New York 36 0.083 -18%
Virginia 11 0.058 -43%
Oklahoma 5 0.057 -45%
Maryland 6 0.050 -51%
Georgia 11 0.043 -57%
Arizona 7 0.043 -58%
Massachusetts 5 0.036 -64%
Tennessee 6 0.033 -67%
North Carolina 5 0.020 -81%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Arkansas – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Kentucky – – –
Louisiana – – –
Maine – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Oregon – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
South Dakota – – –
Vermont – – –
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 Vaughn

Vaughn is uncommon for boys in the United States, ranked #1,153 in 2025 with 183 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1881, 22,484 American babies have been named Vaughn. Its peak came in 1949, when 385 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1940s.

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 Vaughn stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Vaughn?

The median living Vaughn is about 38 years old; half are between 17 and 62. An estimated 16 thousand people named Vaughn are alive in the United States today.

median 38 020406080100

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

Vaughn year by year

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

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 21 #5,902 183 #1,153
2024 15 #7,575 174 #1,188
2023 17 #6,907 165 #1,213
2022 24 #5,451 176 #1,166
2021 24 #5,391 183 #1,118
2020 17 #6,905 180 #1,104
2019 22 #5,782 191 #1,070
2018 24 #5,444 188 #1,068
2017 20 #6,270 216 #963
2016 24 #5,604 261 #865
2015 14 #8,416 251 #886
2014 26 #5,303 226 #935
2013 21 #6,240 247 #865
2012 12 #9,682 245 #862
2011 8 #13,280 226 #901
2010 17 #7,493 215 #939
2009 14 #8,859 270 #820
2008 15 #8,499 254 #849
2007 10 #11,578 306 #739
2006 14 #8,693 290 #737
2005 – – 254 #777
2004 5 #18,693 230 #787
2003 12 #9,026 219 #799
2002 7 #13,533 172 #938
2001 8 #12,004 161 #957
2000 7 #13,092 169 #918
1995 – – 143 #930
1990 6 #12,900 184 #753
1985 – – 130 #780
1980 8 #8,147 166 #674
1975 – – 148 #677
1970 5 #9,306 229 #534
1965 5 #7,485 289 #457
1960 9 #4,761 246 #508
1955 16 #2,964 217 #503
1950 6 #5,268 349 #361
1945 11 #2,906 184 #441
1940 6 #4,313 140 #494
1935 9 #3,142 141 #478
1930 17 #2,101 149 #488
1925 – – 140 #522
1920 11 #3,083 122 #564
1915 5 #4,911 119 #511
1910 – – 17 #752
1905 – – 16 #612
1900 – – 12 #781
1895 – – 7 #972
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Famous people named Vaughn

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

  1. 1 Vaughn Monroe Vaughn Monroe American singer (1911–1973) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Vaughn?

The median living Vaughn is about 38 years old. Half of all living Vaughns are between 17 and 62 years old.

How many people named Vaughn are alive today?

An estimated 16 thousand people named Vaughn are alive in the United States, based on 22,484 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Vaughn mean?

A variant of Vaughan, from Welsh bychan (“small”).

How popular is the name Vaughn in 2025?

Vaughn ranked #1,153 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 183 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Vaughn?

22,484 babies have been named Vaughn in the United States since 1881, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Vaughn most popular?

Vaughn peaked in 1949, when 385 newborns received the name.

Is Vaughn a boy or girl name?

Vaughn is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 95% of babies with the name.

Is the name Vaughn rising or falling?

Vaughn is declining, less popular now than a decade ago.

Will Vaughn become more popular?

Vaughn looks stable. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 181 boys named Vaughn in 2030, ranking outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Vaughn?

Well-known people named Vaughn include Vaughn Monroe (singer).

Names like Vaughn

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

Compare Vaughn with similar names → More names starting with V →