Fun Facts About the Name Hodan
- 292 babies named Hodan: U.S. records list 292 babies given the name Hodan from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Hodan Mean?
Hodan is a Somali feminine name meaning "wealthy" or "prosperous." It comes directly from the Somali adjective hodan, which describes someone who is rich or well-off. Somali belongs to the Cushitic branch of the Afro-Asiatic language family and is spoken mainly in Somalia, Djibouti, and the Somali-speaking regions of Ethiopia and Kenya.
The literal sense of the word is material wealth or abundance, and the name keeps that plain meaning rather than adding a symbolic one. Although many personal names used by Somali families come from Arabic through Islam, Hodan is a native Somali word and is not Arabic in origin. The same word also appears in Somali place names, such as Hodan, a district of Mogadishu.
Hodan Name History & Origins
Hodan belongs to the older layer of Somali personal names formed from ordinary Somali vocabulary rather than from Arabic religious names. Because it is a common noun meaning "wealthy person" or "prosperous one," it works as a name in the same way that other Somali words for desirable qualities do. It is given to girls and has been used among Somali speakers for generations, though written records of Somali naming are thin before the twentieth century, so the earliest use of the name cannot be dated precisely.
Somali was not widely written until the Latin-based national orthography was adopted in 1972, which is one reason old name forms are better documented in speech and in family tradition than in print. As Somali communities settled in Europe, North America, and the Middle East, the name traveled with them and is now found in diaspora communities as well as in the Horn of Africa. One modern bearer was Hodan Nalayeh, a Somali-Canadian journalist who was killed in Somalia in 2019.
How Popular is the Name Hodan?
Hodan 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 2009. Its best rank was #6,906 in 2009.
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 | #12,390 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2024 | #10,544 | 9 | 0.0006% |
| 2022 | #10,692 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2021 | #12,687 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2020 | #9,808 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 2019 | #7,886 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 2018 | #14,476 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 2017 | #9,557 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2016 | #7,378 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 2015 | #8,159 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 2014 | #7,434 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 2013 | #7,524 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 2012 | #8,824 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 2011 | #11,539 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2010 | #9,437 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 2009 | #6,906 | 19 | 0.0010% |
| 2008 | #16,139 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2007 | #9,197 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 2006 | #18,185 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2005 | #9,693 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2004 | #8,428 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 2003 | #16,687 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2002 | #14,247 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2001 | #7,910 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 2000 | #15,946 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1998 | #11,583 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1997 | #11,261 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1996 | #9,905 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1988 | #12,478 | 5 | 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.
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How the Name Hodan Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You attract success and money. You are a lover of nature and do not need others for your happiness. You are self sufficient. You strive for material success and power and have business sense. You possess strong organizational abilities, can be a good manager, and executive by nature. You are capable of great achievement in business and finance. You are frank, methodical and believe in law, system and order.
You find the best contentment in life when you own your own home and provide well for your family and loved ones. You have a great sense of responsibility and duty. You are comforting, appreciative and affectionate. Your obligation in life is to hold justice and truth, and if you follow the Law, you can find the great happiness and satisfaction.
✦ Hodan's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Hodan's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.