UK boy's name
Bohdan
Of Slavic origin, meaning "to bestow gifts from God".
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2024. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Bohdan is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Bohdan popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #3688, with 5 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2023, with 6 births.
This profile covers 31 England and Wales registrations across 8 recorded years from 2012 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.
The latest count is about 83% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 31 living people in the UK are called Bohdan. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2025 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Bohdan ranked #3688 for boys in England and Wales in 2024, with 5 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2023, when 6 boys were registered as Bohdan.
- • About 31 living people in the UK are estimated to have Bohdan as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#3688
2024
Births in 2024
5
Latest year
Peak year
2023
6 births
Estimated living
31
2026
Meaning
What does Bohdan mean?
The given name Bohdan has its origins in the Slavic languages, particularly Ukrainian and Polish. It is derived from the Old Slavic words "bogŭ" meaning "god" and "danŭ" meaning "given", suggesting the meaning "gift of God" or "God-given".
This name was historically popular among the Eastern Slavic peoples, including Ukrainians, Belarusians, and Russians. It has been used since at least the 11th century, as evidenced by historical records from the Kievan Rus' period.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Bohdan can be found in the Primary Chronicle, an early medieval history of the Kievan Rus'. The chronicle mentions a Bohdan who was a military commander and courtier of Prince Sviatoslav I of Kiev in the 10th century.
Another notable historical figure with the name Bohdan was Bohdan Khmelnytsky (1595-1657), a Hetman of the Zaporozhian Cossack Hetmanate who led an uprising against the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in the mid-17th century. His rebellion played a crucial role in the establishment of an autonomous Cossack state and the eventual incorporation of much of modern-day Ukraine into the Russian Empire.
In the realm of literature, the name Bohdan appears in the works of prominent Ukrainian writer Ivan Franko (1856-1916), who wrote a historical novel titled "Bohdan Khmelnytsky" about the life and exploits of the Cossack leader.
A more contemporary figure with the name Bohdan was Bohdan Stupka (1941-2012), a renowned Ukrainian actor and theater director who received numerous awards and honors for his contributions to the arts.
Another notable individual with this name was Bohdan Hawrylyshyn (1926-2016), a Ukrainian-Canadian economist and author who served as the chairman of the International Management Institute in Geneva and wrote extensively on issues of management and economic development.
While the name Bohdan has its roots in the Slavic cultural sphere, it has also gained some popularity in other parts of the world, particularly among diaspora communities with connections to Eastern Europe.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Bohdan over time
The chart below shows babies named Bohdan registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 2012 to 2024. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Bohdan, the clearest high point is 2023. The latest England and Wales figure is 5 births in 2024, compared with 6 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Bohdan by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Bohdan was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.
| Decade | Average rank | Total births | Years covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | #4095 | 17 | 4 |
| 2010s | #4416 | 14 | 4 |
Related
Names similar to Bohdan
- Benjamin 90,412
- Ben 36,356
- Bradley 30,230
- Brandon 26,411
- Billy 18,608
- Bobby 16,904
- Blake 16,337
- Bailey 16,014
- Brody 7,230
- Beau 6,722
- Barnaby 5,284
- Brodie 4,801
FAQ
Bohdan: questions and answers
How popular is the name Bohdan in the UK right now?
In 2024, Bohdan was ranked #3688 for boys in England and Wales, with 5 births registered.
When was Bohdan most popular?
The peak year on record was 2023, with 6 babies registered as Bohdan in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Bohdan?
Of Slavic origin, meaning "to bestow gifts from God".
How many people are called Bohdan in the UK?
A total of 31 babies have been registered as Bohdan across the 8 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here.
Which records is this page based on?
The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.