Carl Edwards
There are approximately 266 people named Carl Edwards living in the United States today. That makes this name combination very rare, occurring at a rate of about 1 in 1,288,550 Americans.
This estimate combines SSA birth records for the first name Carl with Census Bureau frequency data for the surname Edwards. Below you will find a breakdown of both names, including popularity trends, gender data, and Census demographics where available.
Expected bearers
266
1 in 1,288,550
Named Carl
248K
Alive today
Named Edwards
368K
Alive today
US population
343M
Denominator
Estimated living: 248K
Rarity: Common
Gender: Male
Peak year: 1956
Average age: 62
Top Census group: White (76.9%)
Estimated bearers: 368K
Rarity: Common
Census rank: #59
Per 100K: 107.37
Top ancestry: White (59.5%)
First name trend
Carl: popularity over time
Year-by-year SSA birth registrations for the first name Carl. The peak year was 1956 with 8,346 births. The average person named Carl today is 62 years old.
Babies born per year
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Carl
Self-reported race and ethnicity breakdown for people with the first name Carl, 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 Carl 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 Carl at the time of the Census. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity.
- White76.9% · 187,206
- Black or African American15.8% · 38,533
- Two or more races2.7% · 6,510
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 6,163
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.3% · 3,156
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 1,868
Ethnicity
Ancestry of the Edwards surname
Self-reported race and ethnicity breakdown for people with the surname Edwards, from the 2020 US Census Bureau. The largest group is White at 59.5%.
The bar chart below shows how people with the surname Edwards 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 Edwards at the time of the Census. A surname does not determine a person's race or ethnicity.
- White59.5% · 190,866
- Black or African American30.9% · 99,042
- Two or more races4.8% · 15,390
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 11,218
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 2,289
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 2,122
Methodology
How we calculated this
The first name Carl has a living-bearer frequency of 0.0724% of the US population, based on 248,051 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 Carl right now.
The surname Edwards appears at a rate of 107.37 per 100,000 residents in the 2020 Census Bureau surname file, which translates to a frequency of 0.1074%.
Multiplying these two independent frequencies against the current US population of 342,754,338 gives an expected count of approximately 266 people with the full name Carl Edwards. This assumes statistical independence between first and last names, which is a simplification but produces reasonable estimates for most combinations.
Related
Other people named Carl
Related
Other people with the surname Edwards
FAQ
Carl Edwards: questions and answers
How many people are named Carl Edwards?
We estimate approximately 266 people in the United States share the full name Carl Edwards. That works out to about 1 in 1,288,550 Americans. This is calculated by combining the first-name frequency (0.0724%) with the surname frequency (107.37 per 100K) against the current US population.
How rare is the name Carl Edwards?
We classify Carl Edwards as "Very Rare". About 1 in 1,288,550 Americans share this exact first and last name combination.
Is Carl a male or female name?
Carl is predominantly male. Out of 507,825 total SSA registrations, 99.4% were male and 0.6% were female. See the full Carl 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 people are named Carl Edwards?
Find out how many people are called Carl Edwards on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.