Ellen Ryan
There are approximately 62 people named Ellen Ryan living in the United States today. That makes this name combination very rare, occurring at a rate of about 1 in 5,528,296 Americans.
This estimate combines SSA birth records for the first name Ellen with Census Bureau frequency data for the surname Ryan. Below you will find a breakdown of both names, including popularity trends, gender data, and Census demographics where available.
Expected bearers
62
1 in 5,528,296
Named Ellen
135K
Alive today
Named Ryan
158K
Alive today
US population
343M
Denominator
Estimated living: 135K
Rarity: Common
Gender: Female
Peak year: 1951
Average age: 61
Top Census group: White (88.4%)
Estimated bearers: 158K
Rarity: Common
Census rank: #201
Per 100K: 46.04
Top ancestry: White (88.9%)
First name trend
Ellen: popularity over time
Year-by-year SSA birth registrations for the first name Ellen. The peak year was 1951 with 5,956 births. The average person named Ellen today is 61 years old.
Babies born per year
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ellen
Self-reported race and ethnicity breakdown for people with the first name Ellen, from the 2020 US Census Bureau first-name tables. The largest published group is White at 88.4%.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Ellen 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 Ellen at the time of the Census. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity.
- White88.4% · 152,952
- Black or African American4.0% · 7,008
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.7% · 6,476
- Hispanic or Latino1.8% · 3,192
- Two or more races1.6% · 2,782
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 700
Ethnicity
Ancestry of the Ryan surname
Self-reported race and ethnicity breakdown for people with the surname Ryan, from the 2020 US Census Bureau. The largest group is White at 88.9%.
The bar chart below shows how people with the surname Ryan 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 Ryan at the time of the Census. A surname does not determine a person's race or ethnicity.
- White88.9% · 122,260
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 5,031
- Two or more races3.1% · 4,326
- Black or African American3.0% · 4,068
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 1,370
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 544
Methodology
How we calculated this
The first name Ellen has a living-bearer frequency of 0.0393% of the US population, based on 134,575 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 Ellen right now.
The surname Ryan appears at a rate of 46.04 per 100,000 residents in the 2020 Census Bureau surname file, which translates to a frequency of 0.0460%.
Multiplying these two independent frequencies against the current US population of 342,754,338 gives an expected count of approximately 62 people with the full name Ellen Ryan. This assumes statistical independence between first and last names, which is a simplification but produces reasonable estimates for most combinations.
Related
Other people named Ellen
Related
Other people with the surname Ryan
FAQ
Ellen Ryan: questions and answers
How many people are named Ellen Ryan?
We estimate approximately 62 people in the United States share the full name Ellen Ryan. That works out to about 1 in 5,528,296 Americans. This is calculated by combining the first-name frequency (0.0393%) with the surname frequency (46.04 per 100K) against the current US population.
How rare is the name Ellen Ryan?
We classify Ellen Ryan as "Very Rare". About 1 in 5,528,296 Americans share this exact first and last name combination.
Is Ellen a male or female name?
Ellen is predominantly female. Out of 275,793 total SSA registrations, 0.3% were male and 99.7% were female. See the full Ellen 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 Ellen Ryan?
Find out how many people are called Ellen Ryan on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.