Catherine Keener
There are approximately 15 people named Catherine Keener living in the United States today. That makes this name combination very rare, occurring at a rate of about 1 in 22,850,289 Americans.
This estimate combines SSA birth records for the first name Catherine with Census Bureau frequency data for the surname Keener. Below you will find a breakdown of both names, including popularity trends, gender data, and Census demographics where available.
Expected bearers
15
1 in 22,850,289
Named Catherine
349K
Alive today
Named Keener
15K
Alive today
US population
343M
Denominator
Estimated living: 349K
Rarity: Common
Gender: Female
Peak year: 1956
Average age: 53
Top Census group: White (80.5%)
Estimated bearers: 15K
Rarity: Uncommon
Census rank: #2,756
Per 100K: 4.26
Top ancestry: White (88.1%)
First name trend
Catherine: popularity over time
Year-by-year SSA birth registrations for the first name Catherine. The peak year was 1956 with 12,076 births. The average person named Catherine today is 53 years old.
Babies born per year
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Catherine
Self-reported race and ethnicity breakdown for people with the first name Catherine, from the 2020 US Census Bureau first-name tables. The largest published group is White at 80.5%.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Catherine 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 Catherine at the time of the Census. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity.
- White80.5% · 330,379
- Hispanic or Latino6.5% · 26,556
- Black or African American6.2% · 25,498
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.9% · 16,093
- Two or more races2.6% · 10,536
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 1,492
Ethnicity
Ancestry of the Keener surname
Self-reported race and ethnicity breakdown for people with the surname Keener, from the 2020 US Census Bureau. The largest group is White at 88.1%.
The bar chart below shows how people with the surname Keener 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 Keener at the time of the Census. A surname does not determine a person's race or ethnicity.
- White88.1% · 11,212
- Black or African American4.0% · 510
- Two or more races3.4% · 435
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 352
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.1% · 137
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 83
Methodology
How we calculated this
The first name Catherine has a living-bearer frequency of 0.1018% of the US population, based on 348,984 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 Catherine right now.
The surname Keener appears at a rate of 4.26 per 100,000 residents in the 2020 Census Bureau surname file, which translates to a frequency of 0.0043%.
Multiplying these two independent frequencies against the current US population of 342,754,338 gives an expected count of approximately 15 people with the full name Catherine Keener. This assumes statistical independence between first and last names, which is a simplification but produces reasonable estimates for most combinations.
Related
Other people named Catherine
FAQ
Catherine Keener: questions and answers
How many people are named Catherine Keener?
We estimate approximately 15 people in the United States share the full name Catherine Keener. That works out to about 1 in 22,850,289 Americans. This is calculated by combining the first-name frequency (0.1018%) with the surname frequency (4.26 per 100K) against the current US population.
How rare is the name Catherine Keener?
We classify Catherine Keener as "Very Rare". About 1 in 22,850,289 Americans share this exact first and last name combination.
Is Catherine a male or female name?
Catherine is predominantly female. Out of 668,624 total SSA registrations, 0.3% were male and 99.7% were female. See the full Catherine 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 Catherine Keener?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.