Colin Powell
There are approximately 92 people named Colin Powell living in the United States today. That makes this name combination very rare, occurring at a rate of about 1 in 3,725,591 Americans.
This estimate combines SSA birth records for the first name Colin with Census Bureau frequency data for the surname Powell. Below you will find a breakdown of both names, including popularity trends, gender data, and Census demographics where available.
Expected bearers
92
1 in 3,725,591
Named Colin
127K
Alive today
Named Powell
249K
Alive today
US population
343M
Denominator
Estimated living: 127K
Rarity: Common
Gender: Male
Peak year: 2004
Average age: 28
Top Census group: White (84.7%)
Estimated bearers: 249K
Rarity: Common
Census rank: #105
Per 100K: 72.57
Top ancestry: White (64.2%)
First name trend
Colin: popularity over time
Year-by-year SSA birth registrations for the first name Colin. The peak year was 2004 with 5,147 births. The average person named Colin today is 28 years old.
Babies born per year
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Colin
Self-reported race and ethnicity breakdown for people with the first name Colin, from the 2020 US Census Bureau first-name tables. The largest published group is White at 84.7%.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Colin 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 Colin at the time of the Census. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity.
- White84.7% · 104,204
- Two or more races4.5% · 5,528
- Black or African American3.8% · 4,658
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 4,592
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.8% · 3,493
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 553
Ethnicity
Ancestry of the Powell surname
Self-reported race and ethnicity breakdown for people with the surname Powell, from the 2020 US Census Bureau. The largest group is White at 64.2%.
The bar chart below shows how people with the surname Powell 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 Powell at the time of the Census. A surname does not determine a person's race or ethnicity.
- White64.2% · 139,338
- Black or African American26.7% · 58,014
- Two or more races4.6% · 9,938
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 7,023
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 1,338
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 1,260
Methodology
How we calculated this
The first name Colin has a living-bearer frequency of 0.0371% of the US population, based on 127,234 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 Colin right now.
The surname Powell appears at a rate of 72.57 per 100,000 residents in the 2020 Census Bureau surname file, which translates to a frequency of 0.0726%.
Multiplying these two independent frequencies against the current US population of 342,754,338 gives an expected count of approximately 92 people with the full name Colin Powell. This assumes statistical independence between first and last names, which is a simplification but produces reasonable estimates for most combinations.
Related
Other people named Colin
Related
Other people with the surname Powell
FAQ
Colin Powell: questions and answers
How many people are named Colin Powell?
We estimate approximately 92 people in the United States share the full name Colin Powell. That works out to about 1 in 3,725,591 Americans. This is calculated by combining the first-name frequency (0.0371%) with the surname frequency (72.57 per 100K) against the current US population.
How rare is the name Colin Powell?
We classify Colin Powell as "Very Rare". About 1 in 3,725,591 Americans share this exact first and last name combination.
Is Colin a male or female name?
Colin is predominantly male. Out of 133,202 total SSA registrations, 99.7% were male and 0.3% were female. See the full Colin 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 common is the name Colin Powell?
Find out how many people are called Colin Powell on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.