Can
Can is a unisex given name: about 82% of people named Can are men and 18% are women, so a gendered salutation is a coin flip and the neutral form is the safe choice.
- Verdict
- Mostly male
- Male / female split
- 82% male / 18% female
- Confidence
- High (64 or more weighted country observations)
- Most common in
- Turkey, Vietnam, China
- US births since 1880
- 396 male / 0 female
- Data
- nam_dict (GFDL) + US SSA
- Updated
- 2026-09-11
How to address Can
To address Can when you do not know their gender, use the full name with no title: "Dear Can," in English, "Guten Tag Can," in German. About 82% of people named Can are men and 18% are women, so a gendered salutation is close to a coin flip, and the neutral form above is the safer choice.
Ready-made greetings in six languages
English
Dear Can,
German
Guten Tag Can,
French
Bonjour Can,
Spanish
Estimado/a Can:
Chinese
Can您好：
Japanese
Can様
English
Hi Can,
German
Hi Can,
French
Salut Can,
Spanish
Hola Can,
Chinese
Can你好：
Japanese
Canさん
This is a statistical estimate, not a statement about the gender, identity or correct form of address of any particular person.
Country breakdown
| Country | How common | Usually | Male share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Turkey | common | man's name | 98% |
| Vietnam | uncommon | unisex name | 50% |
| China | rare | unisex name | 50% |
| United States | rare | man's name | 100% |
| Kosovo | rare | man's name | 98% |
United States birth data
396 male · 0 female · 396 births recorded
Since 1980: 100% male.
Frequently asked questions
Is Can a male or female name?
Can is a unisex given name: about 82% of people named Can are men and 18% are women, so a gendered salutation is a coin flip and the neutral form is the safe choice.
How do I address Can in an email?
To address Can when you do not know their gender, use the full name with no title: "Dear Can," in English, "Guten Tag Can," in German. About 82% of people named Can are men and 18% are women, so a gendered salutation is close to a coin flip, and the neutral form above is the safer choice.
Is Can a unisex name?
Can is not a unisex name: 82% of people named Can are men. Can leans strongly male overall.
Related names
Sources
Gender by country: nam_dict, the c't first-names dictionary by Joerg Michael, roughly 44,000 names across 55 countries, licensed GFDL. US frequencies: United States Social Security Administration baby-name data, public domain. Method: how we classify names. Full dataset: data & licences. Data built 2026-09-11.
DearWho, "Is Can a male or female name?", https://dearwho.vercel.app/name/can (accessed 2026-09-11). Data: nam_dict (J. Michael, GFDL) and US SSA, built 2026-09-11.
BibTeX
@misc{dearwho_can,
title = {Is Can a male or female name?},
author = {{DearWho}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://dearwho.vercel.app/name/can},
note = {Data: nam_dict (GFDL), US SSA public domain}
}