Power
A gender-neutral name derived from the English word meaning "ability to act or produce an effect".
Name Census estimates that about 153 living Americans carry the first name Power. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 85.7% of registrations being male. The average person named Power today is around 5 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Power births was 2022 (31 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Power. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
153
~ 1 in 2,240,224 Americans
Peak year
2022
31 babies that year
Average age
5
years old
2024 SSA rank
#6,375
Tracked since 2013
Census
Power in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 133 people with the first name Power, which placed it at #48,223 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#48,223
National first-name rank
People counted
133
133 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.0
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
34.6% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Power
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Power is Black at 34.6%. The next largest groups are White (27.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (23.3%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Power described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Power at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American34.6% · 46
- White27.8% · 37
- Asian and Pacific Islander23.3% · 31
- Hispanic or Latino9.0% · 12
- Two or more races4.5% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 1
Gender
Gender distribution for Power
Power leans heavily male at 85.7% of total registrations, but 22 girls have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Power as a male name
- Ranked #6,375 in 2024
- 14 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2022 (31 births)
Power as a female name
- Ranked #13,087 in 2024
- 7 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2024 (7 births)
2020 Census snapshot
In the 2020 Census sex table, Power leans strongly male. 118 people counted with this name were male (92.9%), compared with 9 female bearers (7.1%).
Popularity
Power: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Power from the 2010s through to the 2020s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 111 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Power by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Power during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Powers live
Origin
Meaning and history of Power
The given name Power has its origins rooted in the Old English language, derived from the word "Poure," which meant "ability" or "strength." It emerged in England during the medieval period, around the 11th to 13th centuries.
This name's etymology reflects a time when physical prowess and martial capabilities were highly valued in society. It was often bestowed upon individuals who displayed remarkable fortitude, resilience, or authority in their respective roles or endeavors.
One of the earliest known references to the name Power can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive record of landholdings and property commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. This historical document mentions individuals bearing variations of the name, such as Pouere and Poure, indicating its existence in Anglo-Norman England.
Throughout the Middle Ages, the name Power gained recognition as it was borne by several notable figures. One such individual was Power le Poure, a prominent English landowner and knight who lived during the 13th century. His name appears in various medieval records, including the Curia Regis Rolls, which documented legal proceedings and transactions within the royal court.
Another significant bearer of the name was Sir Power Hartcourt, a distinguished English soldier and military commander who fought alongside King Edward III during the Hundred Years' War. Born in 1320, Hartcourt's exploits on the battlefield earned him a reputation for bravery and strategic prowess.
In the 15th century, Power Jenkin emerged as a renowned Welsh warrior and leader. He played a crucial role in the Wars of the Roses, supporting the House of Lancaster. His legacy as a formidable fighter and loyal commander has been documented in various historical accounts of the time.
During the Tudor period, Power Poyntz gained recognition as a influential courtier and diplomat. Born in 1520, Poyntz served under King Henry VIII and later held influential positions during the reigns of Edward VI and Queen Mary I, showcasing his political acumen and ability to navigate the complex power dynamics of the era.
As the name Power transitioned into the modern era, it continued to be associated with individuals who exhibited remarkable strength, determination, and influence in their respective fields. One notable example is Power Shaughnessy, an Irish-American writer and journalist who lived from 1879 to 1959. His works, which often explored themes of immigration and urban life, earned him critical acclaim and a lasting legacy in American literature.
People
Power + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Power as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with P
Other first names starting with P with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Power: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Power?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 153 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Power going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 2,240,224 US residents.
Is Power a common name?
We classify Power as "Very Rare". It ranks above 70.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 154 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Power most popular?
The single biggest year for Power was 2022, when 31 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Power is about 5 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Power in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 133 people with the name Power, or 0.04 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #48,223 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Power in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Power?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Power leans strongly male. 118 people counted with this name were male (92.9%), compared with 9 female bearers (7.1%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Power?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Power is Black at 34.6%. The next largest groups are White (27.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (23.3%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Power most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Power in the 2020 Census, accounting for 34.6% (46 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Power in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Power a male name?
Yes, 85.7% of people registered as Power in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Power still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Power in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Power can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many people have Power as a first name?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the name Power on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.