Rhapsody
An ancient Greek name describing an epic poem or poetic expression.
Name Census estimates that about 113 living Americans carry the first name Rhapsody. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Rhapsody today is around 24 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Rhapsody births was 1979 (8 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Rhapsody. 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
113
~ 1 in 3,033,224 Americans
Peak year
1979
8 babies that year
Average age
24
years old
2023 SSA rank
#17,084
Tracked since 1977
Census
Rhapsody in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 178 people with the first name Rhapsody, which placed it at #41,266 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
#41,266
National first-name rank
People counted
178
178 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
50.6% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rhapsody
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Rhapsody is White at 50.6%. The next largest groups are Black (15.2%) and Hispanic (15.2%). 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 Rhapsody 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 Rhapsody at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White50.6% · 90
- Black or African American15.2% · 27
- Hispanic or Latino15.2% · 27
- Two or more races12.4% · 22
- Asian and Pacific Islander5.6% · 10
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.1% · 2
Popularity
Rhapsody: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Rhapsody from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 30 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2000s peak, Rhapsody remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Rhapsody 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 Rhapsody during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Rhapsody
The name Rhapsody is of Greek origin, derived from the word "rhapsōidos," which itself is a combination of the words "rhaptein" (to stitch or compose) and "ōidē" (song or poem). It first emerged in ancient Greece, where it referred to a professional singer or reciter of epic poetry, particularly the works of Homer.
In ancient Greek culture, rhapsodes were highly respected performers who would travel from city to city, reciting epic poems from memory. These performances were often accompanied by music and dance, creating a powerful and immersive experience for the audience.
The earliest recorded use of the name Rhapsody can be traced back to the 6th century BCE, when a rhapsode named Kinaethos of Chios was said to have been the first to perform the Homeric epics at the Panathenaic festival in Athens. Another notable rhapsode from this period was Kynaithos of Syracuse, who is credited with organizing the Homeric poems into their current structure.
Throughout the centuries, the name Rhapsody has been associated with creative expression and artistic endeavors. One of the earliest recorded individuals with this name was Rhapsody of Corinth, a renowned painter who lived in the 5th century BCE and was known for her vivid depictions of mythological scenes.
In the field of music, the name Rhapsody has been carried by several notable figures. Rhapsody of Byzantium (c. 550 CE) was a celebrated composer and musician who is credited with bringing the art of Byzantine chant to its Golden Age. Rhapsody de la Mer (1888-1964) was a French singer and actress who performed in numerous operas and operettas during the early 20th century.
More recently, the name Rhapsody has been adopted by various musical groups, such as the progressive metal band Rhapsody of Fire (formed in 1997) and the R&B group Rhapsody (formed in the late 1990s).
While the name Rhapsody may seem unconventional in modern times, it carries a rich cultural heritage and a connection to the artistic traditions of ancient Greece. Its association with creative expression and performance has endured throughout history, making it a unique and meaningful choice for those with a passion for the arts.
People
Rhapsody + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Rhapsody as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with R
Other first names starting with R with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Rhapsody: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Rhapsody?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 113 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Rhapsody 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 3,033,224 US residents.
Is Rhapsody a common name?
We classify Rhapsody as "Very Rare". It ranks above 66.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 117 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Rhapsody most popular?
The single biggest year for Rhapsody was 1979, when 8 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Rhapsody is about 24 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Rhapsody in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 178 people with the name Rhapsody, or 0.06 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #41,266 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 Rhapsody 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 Rhapsody?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Rhapsody leans strongly female. 174 people counted with this name were female (98.9%), compared with 2 male bearers (1.1%). 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 Rhapsody?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Rhapsody is White at 50.6%. The next largest groups are Black (15.2%) and Hispanic (15.2%). 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 Rhapsody most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Rhapsody in the 2020 Census, accounting for 50.6% (90 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 Rhapsody in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Rhapsody a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Rhapsody in the SSA data are female. 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 Rhapsody still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Rhapsody 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 Rhapsody 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 Americans are named Rhapsody?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.