Bernard Oakley
There are approximately 4 people named Bernard Oakley living in the United States today. That makes this name combination very rare, occurring at a rate of about 1 in 85,688,585 Americans.
This estimate combines SSA birth records for the first name Bernard with Census Bureau frequency data for the surname Oakley. Below you will find a breakdown of both names, including popularity trends, gender data, and Census demographics where available.
Expected bearers
4
1 in 85,688,585
Named Bernard
80K
Alive today
Named Oakley
19K
Alive today
US population
343M
Denominator
Estimated living: 80K
Rarity: Uncommon
Gender: Male
Peak year: 1924
Average age: 64
Top Census group: White (64.8%)
Estimated bearers: 19K
Rarity: Uncommon
Census rank: #2,123
Per 100K: 5.55
Top ancestry: White (81.4%)
First name trend
Bernard: popularity over time
Year-by-year SSA birth registrations for the first name Bernard. The peak year was 1924 with 4,524 births. The average person named Bernard today is 64 years old.
Babies born per year
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bernard
Self-reported race and ethnicity breakdown for people with the first name Bernard, from the 2020 US Census Bureau first-name tables. The largest published group is White at 64.8%.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Bernard 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 Bernard at the time of the Census. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity.
- White64.8% · 53,504
- Black or African American25.9% · 21,355
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 2,741
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.3% · 2,740
- Two or more races1.9% · 1,608
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 569
Ethnicity
Ancestry of the Oakley surname
Self-reported race and ethnicity breakdown for people with the surname Oakley, from the 2020 US Census Bureau. The largest group is White at 81.4%.
The bar chart below shows how people with the surname Oakley 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 Oakley at the time of the Census. A surname does not determine a person's race or ethnicity.
- White81.4% · 13,506
- Black or African American9.7% · 1,606
- Two or more races4.3% · 709
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 540
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 117
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 110
Methodology
How we calculated this
The first name Bernard has a living-bearer frequency of 0.0232% of the US population, based on 79,598 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 Bernard right now.
The surname Oakley appears at a rate of 5.55 per 100,000 residents in the 2020 Census Bureau surname file, which translates to a frequency of 0.0055%.
Multiplying these two independent frequencies against the current US population of 342,754,338 gives an expected count of approximately 4 people with the full name Bernard Oakley. This assumes statistical independence between first and last names, which is a simplification but produces reasonable estimates for most combinations.
Related
Other people named Bernard
FAQ
Bernard Oakley: questions and answers
How many people are named Bernard Oakley?
We estimate approximately 4 people in the United States share the full name Bernard Oakley. That works out to about 1 in 85,688,585 Americans. This is calculated by combining the first-name frequency (0.0232%) with the surname frequency (5.55 per 100K) against the current US population.
How rare is the name Bernard Oakley?
We classify Bernard Oakley as "Very Rare". About 1 in 85,688,585 Americans share this exact first and last name combination.
Is Bernard a male or female name?
Bernard is predominantly male. Out of 200,931 total SSA registrations, 99.5% were male and 0.5% were female. See the full Bernard 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 Bernard Oakley?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.