Ben Wilson
There are approximately 108 people named Ben Wilson living in the United States today. That makes this name combination very rare, occurring at a rate of about 1 in 3,173,651 Americans.
This estimate combines SSA birth records for the first name Ben with Census Bureau frequency data for the surname Wilson. Below you will find a breakdown of both names, including popularity trends, gender data, and Census demographics where available.
Expected bearers
108
1 in 3,173,651
Named Ben
41K
Alive today
Named Wilson
891K
Alive today
US population
343M
Denominator
Estimated living: 41K
Rarity: Uncommon
Gender: Male
Peak year: 1918
Average age: 51
Top Census group: White (76.9%)
Estimated bearers: 891K
Rarity: Very Common
Census rank: #14
Per 100K: 260.05
Top ancestry: White (64.5%)
First name trend
Ben: popularity over time
Year-by-year SSA birth registrations for the first name Ben. The peak year was 1918 with 1,293 births. The average person named Ben today is 51 years old.
Babies born per year
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ben
Self-reported race and ethnicity breakdown for people with the first name Ben, from the 2020 US Census Bureau first-name tables. The largest published group is White at 76.9%.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Ben described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. These are self-reported numbers, and they describe the population who happened to carry the name Ben at the time of the Census. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity.
- White76.9% · 82,718
- Hispanic or Latino7.1% · 7,682
- Asian and Pacific Islander6.4% · 6,909
- Black or African American5.8% · 6,236
- Two or more races2.9% · 3,140
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 855
Ethnicity
Ancestry of the Wilson surname
Self-reported race and ethnicity breakdown for people with the surname Wilson, from the 2020 US Census Bureau. The largest group is White at 64.5%.
The bar chart below shows how people with the surname Wilson described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. These are self-reported numbers, and they describe the population who happened to carry the surname Wilson at the time of the Census. A surname does not determine a person's race or ethnicity.
- White64.5% · 501,019
- Black or African American25.5% · 198,581
- Two or more races4.7% · 36,207
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 27,928
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 7,617
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 5,923
Methodology
How we calculated this
The first name Ben has a living-bearer frequency of 0.0121% of the US population, based on 41,427 estimated living Americans carrying this first name (from SSA birth records going back to 1880, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables).
Even though the Census Bureau now publishes first-name tables, we do not use that file as the main first-name input for this estimate. The latest first-name Census snapshot is from 2020, which makes it 6 years old today. Because Census first-name data is only released once every 10 years, SSA birth records plus CDC survival rates give a better current estimate of how many people are likely alive with the name Ben right now.
The surname Wilson appears at a rate of 260.05 per 100,000 residents in the 2020 Census Bureau surname file, which translates to a frequency of 0.2600%.
Multiplying these two independent frequencies against the current US population of 342,754,338 gives an expected count of approximately 108 people with the full name Ben Wilson. This assumes statistical independence between first and last names, which is a simplification but produces reasonable estimates for most combinations.
Related
Other people named Ben
Related
Other people with the surname Wilson
FAQ
Ben Wilson: questions and answers
How many people are named Ben Wilson?
We estimate approximately 108 people in the United States share the full name Ben Wilson. That works out to about 1 in 3,173,651 Americans. This is calculated by combining the first-name frequency (0.0121%) with the surname frequency (260.05 per 100K) against the current US population.
How rare is the name Ben Wilson?
We classify Ben Wilson as "Very Rare". About 1 in 3,173,651 Americans share this exact first and last name combination.
Is Ben a male or female name?
Ben is predominantly male. Out of 85,516 total SSA registrations, 99.5% were male and 0.5% were female. See the full Ben profile for detailed gender data.
Where does this data come from?
First-name data comes from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files (1880 to 2024). Surname data comes from the 2020 US Census Bureau decennial surname tables. Living-bearer estimates use CDC actuarial life tables to adjust for mortality. Read the full methodology.
How many Americans are named Ben Wilson?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.