Fun Facts About the Name Sultan
- More than 2 thousand babies named Sultan: U.S. records list 2,395 babies given the name Sultan from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Sultan Mean?
Sultan comes from Arabic sulṭān (سُلْطَان), meaning "ruler," "sovereign," or "authority." The word belongs to the root s-l-ṭ, also seen in the verb sallaṭa, "to give power or authority over." In its earliest Arabic use, sulṭān was abstract: power, dominion, or a warrant and justification, and the Quran uses it in the sense of authority or proof. Only later was the word applied to the person who holds that power, a ruler. As a personal name, then, Sultan is the political title taken directly as a given name rather than a name with a separate etymology. The feminine form Sultana is also used as a given name.
Sultan Name History & Origins
The word became a title for Muslim rulers. The Ghaznavid ruler Mahmud (reigned 998 - 1030) is often described as the first to bear sulṭān as a formal regnal title, though the exact point at which it shifted from a general word for authority to an official title is not firmly fixed. The Seljuk Turks spread the title in the 11th century, and it was later used by Ayyubid and Mamluk rulers, the sultans of Delhi, the Ottoman dynasty, and the rulers of Morocco, Oman, and the Malay states. In the Ottoman house the placement of the title followed a pattern: for men of the dynasty it came before the personal name (Sultan Süleyman), while for women it followed the name (Hürrem Sultan, Mihrimah Sultan).
As a given name, Sultan is used in the Arab world, Turkey, South Asia, Southeast Asia, and East Africa, and in Arabic-speaking regions it is normally a male name. In Turkish it is also a common female given name, a usage distinct from the Arabic masculine name. The title itself passed into many languages, including Turkish sultan, Persian solṭān, Urdu and Hindi sultān, Malay and Indonesian sultan, and Swahili sultani; English sultan came through Old French and Medieval Latin.
How Popular is the Name Sultan?
Sultan 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 2025. Its best rank was #1,243 in 2025.
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 | #1,243 | 161 | 0.0094% |
| 2024 | #1,297 | 151 | 0.0088% |
| 2023 | #1,426 | 128 | 0.0075% |
| 2022 | #1,307 | 145 | 0.0083% |
| 2021 | #1,590 | 109 | 0.0062% |
| 2020 | #1,433 | 121 | 0.0070% |
| 2019 | #1,619 | 102 | 0.0057% |
| 2018 | #1,563 | 108 | 0.0059% |
| 2017 | #1,715 | 92 | 0.0050% |
| 2016 | #1,637 | 98 | 0.0052% |
| 2015 | #2,049 | 70 | 0.0037% |
| 2014 | #2,293 | 58 | 0.0030% |
| 2013 | #2,519 | 49 | 0.0026% |
| 2012 | #2,353 | 55 | 0.0029% |
| 2011 | #2,787 | 43 | 0.0023% |
| 2010 | #2,908 | 41 | 0.0021% |
| 2009 | #3,264 | 35 | 0.0018% |
| 2008 | #4,126 | 25 | 0.0012% |
| 2007 | #5,181 | 18 | 0.0009% |
| 2006 | #3,770 | 27 | 0.0013% |
| 2005 | #3,229 | 32 | 0.0016% |
| 2004 | #3,005 | 34 | 0.0017% |
| 2003 | #3,513 | 26 | 0.0013% |
| 2002 | #2,812 | 34 | 0.0018% |
| 2001 | #2,476 | 40 | 0.0021% |
| 2000 | #3,744 | 22 | 0.0011% |
| 1999 | #3,089 | 27 | 0.0014% |
| 1998 | #2,640 | 32 | 0.0017% |
| 1997 | #3,247 | 23 | 0.0012% |
| 1996 | #3,094 | 24 | 0.0013% |
| 1995 | #2,839 | 26 | 0.0014% |
| 1994 | #2,932 | 25 | 0.0013% |
| 1993 | #3,235 | 21 | 0.0011% |
| 1992 | #3,581 | 18 | 0.0009% |
| 1991 | #2,820 | 24 | 0.0012% |
| 1990 | #3,442 | 18 | 0.0009% |
| 1989 | #2,984 | 21 | 0.0010% |
| 1988 | #2,849 | 20 | 0.0010% |
| 1987 | #3,316 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 1986 | #3,421 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 1985 | #2,491 | 21 | 0.0011% |
| 1984 | #3,087 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 1983 | #3,844 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1982 | #3,088 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 1981 | #2,564 | 19 | 0.0011% |
| 1980 | #3,079 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 1979 | #2,302 | 22 | 0.0013% |
| 1978 | #2,653 | 17 | 0.0010% |
| 1977 | #2,648 | 17 | 0.0010% |
| 1976 | #1,818 | 28 | 0.0018% |
| 1975 | #1,880 | 26 | 0.0017% |
| 1974 | #2,190 | 20 | 0.0013% |
| 1973 | #2,703 | 14 | 0.0009% |
| 1972 | #4,926 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1971 | #3,925 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1966 | #2,957 | 9 | 0.0005% |
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 Sultan Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You are spiritually intense and can sting or charm. Your name brings love and new starts into life and attracts money. In business, you are the creator and promoter of original ideas and usually enjoy considerable financial success. Emergencies may raise your intuitive abilities in order to resolve conflict or situation. You become very creative under the pressure, and have quite original ideas to make the best out of it.
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.
✦ Sultan's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Sultan's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.