Fun Facts About the Name Aztlan
- 139 babies named Aztlan: U.S. records list 139 babies given the name Aztlan from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Aztlan Mean?
Aztlan means "place of the herons" and comes from Nahuatl, the language of the Mexica and other peoples of central Mexico. It is formed from āztatl, "heron," and the locative ending -tlān, "place of" or "among," which appears in many Nahuatl place names. The heron is often taken to be the white heron or egret, so the name is sometimes rendered "land of the white herons."
A secondary, symbolic reading links the name to whiteness (from iztac, "white"), but the heron word is the element the standard etymology rests on. The name is Nahuatl, not Spanish; Spanish and later English simply borrowed it, which is why it is usually written with an accent as Aztlán in Spanish.
Aztlan Name History & Origins
In Mexica (Aztec) tradition, Aztlan was the island homeland in the northwest from which the Mexica set out on a long migration, led by their patron deity Huitzilopochtli, before founding Tenochtitlan in the Valley of Mexico. This migration story is preserved in colonial-era documents such as the Boturini Codex (the Tira de la Peregrinación) and in Nahuatl and Spanish histories written after the conquest, including the Crónica Mexicáyotl and the annals of Chimalpahin. These are traditional and religious accounts rather than a dated historical record.
The name is the source of the label "Aztec": in Nahuatl, aztecatl means "person from Aztlan," and the Mexica were sometimes called aztecah. The wider use of "Aztec" for the whole civilization came later, through colonial and modern scholarship. The actual location of Aztlan has never been confirmed; proposed placements range from the Pacific coast of Nayarit or Sinaloa to the region of the Colorado River delta, and the question remains open.
In the twentieth century the name took on a new life. The 1969 Plan Espiritual de Aztlán adopted it as a symbol of the ancestral homeland of Mexican Americans, giving the word a central place in the Chicano movement. Use of Aztlan as a personal given name is modern and generally tied to that symbolism rather than to the older Mexica narrative.
How Popular is the Name Aztlan?
Aztlan has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 2018. Its best rank was #6,382 in 2018.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #7,253 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2024 | #11,062 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2023 | #12,448 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2022 | #11,027 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2021 | #7,141 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2020 | #12,225 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2018 | #6,382 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 2016 | #12,402 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2013 | #10,888 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2012 | #12,474 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2011 | #8,839 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2010 | #8,210 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2009 | #9,973 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2008 | #6,798 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 2007 | #7,147 | 11 | 0.0005% |
| 2006 | #9,680 | 7 | 0.0003% |
| 2002 | #9,511 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2001 | #9,362 | 6 | 0.0003% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
Explore More Lists with Name Aztlan
Most Popular Boy Names That Start with A
How the Name Aztlan Shapes Your Personality and Life?
Powerful and complete. You are good intellectually and require several outlets for your energies. You are not a builder but a planner, and you want others to carry out your plans. You are bold, independent, inquisitive and interested in research. You know what you want and why you want it.
You are always looking for an opportunity to achieve financial and emotional security. You are basically peacemaker. You understand the law of harmony and desire to balance your life with those around you. You may feel incomplete without someone to share your love, ideals, wealth or work. You can be very sensitive and could appear a bit shy and perceptive. You have developed intuition, patience and the ability to nurture others. You can achieve the state of happiness if you are willing to accept your needs in a complimentary relationship and go to create them.
✦ Aztlan's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Aztlan's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.