Sundown
The evening sun's descent marking the close of day.
Name Census estimates that about 16 living Americans carry the first name Sundown. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 66.7% of registrations being female. The average person named Sundown today is around 53 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Sundown births was 1974 (13 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Sundown. 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.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Sundown. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
16
~ 1 in 21,422,146 Americans
Peak year
1974
13 babies that year
Average age
53
years old
1974 SSA rank
#5,157
Tracked since 1974
Gender
Gender distribution for Sundown
Sundown is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 18 total registrations, 6 (33.3%) were male and 12 (66.7%) were female.
Sundown as a male name
- Ranked #5,157 in 1974
- 6 male births in 1974
- Peak: 1974 (6 births)
Sundown as a female name
- Ranked #10,686 in 1976
- 5 female births in 1976
- Peak: 1974 (7 births)
Popularity
Sundown: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Sundown 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 Sundown during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 6 | 12 | 18 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Sundown
The name Sundown is a relatively modern invention, originating in the English language during the late 19th or early 20th century. It is a compound word derived from the terms "sun" and "down", referring to the setting of the sun or the time of day when the sun dips below the horizon.
This name likely emerged as a reflection of the romantic fascination with nature and the outdoors that became popular during the Victorian era and the rise of transcendentalism. It evokes imagery of peaceful evenings, the golden hues of a sunset, and the tranquility of twilight hours.
While Sundown does not have a long historical lineage or roots in ancient cultures, it has been adopted by a handful of individuals throughout the 20th century. One of the earliest recorded uses of Sundown as a first name was Sundown Slim, the stage name of American blues musician Wilbert Arrington Cozart (1904-1995), who was active in the 1920s and 1930s.
Another notable individual with the name Sundown was Sundown Muller (1923-1998), a German-American actor and stuntman who appeared in numerous Western films and television shows during the 1950s and 1960s. His unique name perfectly suited his roles in cowboy and frontier-themed productions.
In the realm of literature, Sundown was the name of a character in the novel "Sundown" by John Greenleaf Whittier (1807-1892), published in 1865. This poetic work centered around the theme of racial prejudice and the struggles faced by Native Americans.
More recently, Sundown Miller (1924-2010) was an American baseball player who played in the Major Leagues from 1949 to 1952. While not a household name, his distinctive first name added an element of intrigue to his career as a professional athlete.
Another individual named Sundown was Sundown Staley (1905-1979), an American rodeo cowboy and actor who appeared in several Western films in the 1930s and 1940s. His name perfectly encapsulated the rugged, outdoor lifestyle associated with the American West.
People
Sundown + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Sundown as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with S
Other first names starting with S with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Sundown: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Sundown?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 16 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Sundown 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 21,422,146 US residents.
Is Sundown a common name?
We classify Sundown as "Very Rare". It ranks above 36.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 18 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Sundown most popular?
The single biggest year for Sundown was 1974, when 13 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Sundown is about 53 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
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 Sundown in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Sundown a female name?
Yes, 66.7% of people registered as Sundown 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 Sundown still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Sundown 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 Sundown 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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people are named Sundown?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.