UK boy's name
Kaan
A masculine Turkish name meaning "Lord" or "Ruler".
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.
Kaan is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Kaan popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #1162, with 24 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2010, with 37 births.
This profile covers 661 England and Wales registrations across 29 recorded years from 1996 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales and NRS Scotland, 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 65% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 659 living people in the UK are called Kaan. 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
- • Kaan ranked #1162 for boys in England and Wales in 2024, with 24 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2010, when 37 boys were registered as Kaan.
- • Kaan ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #638 in 2010.
- • About 659 living people in the UK are estimated to have Kaan as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#1162
2024
Births in 2024
24
Latest year
Peak year
2010
37 births
Estimated living
659
2026
Meaning
What does Kaan mean?
The name Kaan has its origins in the Turkish language and culture, with roots dating back to the ancient Turkic peoples of Central Asia. The name is derived from the Old Turkic word "khan," which means "ruler" or "sovereign." This association with leadership and authority has given the name a strong and powerful connotation throughout history.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Kaan can be found in the ancient Orkhon inscriptions, a series of monumental stone inscriptions erected in the early 8th century CE by the Göktürk Khanate in present-day Mongolia. These inscriptions celebrate the deeds and achievements of the Göktürk khans, including the legendary Bilge Kaan, who ruled from 681 to 734 CE.
In Islamic history, the name Kaan is closely associated with the Mongol Empire and its imperial legacy. Genghis Khan, the legendary founder of the Mongol Empire, was also known as Chingis Kaan or Jenghiz Khan (c. 1162-1227 CE). His grandson, Kublai Khan (1215-1294 CE), established the Yuan Dynasty in China and became the first non-Chinese emperor to rule over the entire country.
Another notable figure bearing the name Kaan was Batu Khan (c. 1205-1255 CE), a Mongol ruler and the founder of the Golden Horde, a Mongol khanate that ruled over parts of modern-day Russia, Ukraine, and Kazakhstan. His descendants, known as the Khans of the Golden Horde, continued to wield significant power in the region for centuries.
In Indian history, the name Kaan is closely linked to the Mughal Empire, which ruled over much of the Indian subcontinent from the 16th to the 19th century. One of the most famous Mughal rulers was Akbar the Great (1542-1605 CE), who was also known as Akbar Khan. His grandson, Shah Jahan (1592-1666 CE), commissioned the construction of the iconic Taj Mahal in Agra.
Beyond the historical figures, the name Kaan has also been borne by various literary and artistic figures, such as the Turkish novelist and playwright Kaan Müjdeci (1921-1994 CE) and the Turkish-German actor Kaan Urgancıoğlu (born 1981 CE).
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Kaan over time
The chart below shows babies named Kaan registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1996 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 Kaan, the clearest high point is 2010. The latest England and Wales figure is 24 births in 2024, compared with 37 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Kaan by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Kaan 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 | #1304 | 102 | 5 |
| 2010s | #1140 | 248 | 10 |
| 2000s | #919 | 243 | 10 |
| 1990s | #894 | 68 | 4 |
Geography
Where Kaan is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Kaan. They are useful for spotting where the name is showing up in real numbers, while the rank beside each bar shows how strongly it performs inside that region.
Kaan ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #638 in 2010.
Across the UK
Kaan in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#638 in 2010
1 years of NRS records, 3 total registered
Related
Names similar to Kaan
- Kieran 30,429
- Kyle 28,463
- Kai 24,432
- Kian 17,666
- Kayden 8,305
- Kevin 7,927
- Kane 7,149
- Kaiden 5,762
- Kieron 4,547
- Kacper 4,366
- Kye 4,012
- Kit 3,529
FAQ
Kaan: questions and answers
How popular is the name Kaan in the UK right now?
In 2024, Kaan was ranked #1162 for boys in England and Wales, with 24 births registered.
When was Kaan most popular?
The peak year on record was 2010, with 37 babies registered as Kaan in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Kaan?
A masculine Turkish name meaning "Lord" or "Ruler".
How many people are called Kaan in the UK?
A total of 661 babies have been registered as Kaan across the 29 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 3 more in Scotland.
Where is Kaan most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Kaan ranks best in Scotland, where it placed #638 in 2010. The regional bars on this page use birth counts, so they also reflect the size of each region.
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.