Emerson Cunningham
There are approximately 25 people named Emerson Cunningham living in the United States today. That makes this name combination very rare, occurring at a rate of about 1 in 13,710,174 Americans.
This estimate combines SSA birth records for the first name Emerson with Census Bureau frequency data for the surname Cunningham. Below you will find a breakdown of both names, including popularity trends, gender data, and Census demographics where available.
Expected bearers
25
1 in 13,710,174
Named Emerson
57K
Alive today
Named Cunningham
148K
Alive today
US population
343M
Denominator
Estimated living: 57K
Rarity: Uncommon
Gender: Unisex
Peak year: 2017
Average age: 15
Top Census group: White (72.0%)
Estimated bearers: 148K
Rarity: Common
Census rank: #229
Per 100K: 43.11
Top ancestry: White (70.6%)
First name trend
Emerson: popularity over time
Year-by-year SSA birth registrations for the first name Emerson. The peak year was 2017 with 3,299 births. The average person named Emerson today is 15 years old.
Babies born per year
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Emerson
Self-reported race and ethnicity breakdown for people with the first name Emerson, from the 2020 US Census Bureau first-name tables. The largest published group is White at 72.0%.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Emerson 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 Emerson at the time of the Census. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity.
- White72.0% · 31,287
- Hispanic or Latino14.0% · 6,081
- Two or more races5.7% · 2,473
- Black or African American4.3% · 1,871
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.8% · 1,223
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.2% · 528
Ethnicity
Ancestry of the Cunningham surname
Self-reported race and ethnicity breakdown for people with the surname Cunningham, from the 2020 US Census Bureau. The largest group is White at 70.6%.
The bar chart below shows how people with the surname Cunningham 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 Cunningham at the time of the Census. A surname does not determine a person's race or ethnicity.
- White70.6% · 90,983
- Black or African American20.6% · 26,531
- Two or more races4.0% · 5,193
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 4,667
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 881
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 614
Methodology
How we calculated this
The first name Emerson has a living-bearer frequency of 0.0166% of the US population, based on 57,036 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 Emerson right now.
The surname Cunningham appears at a rate of 43.11 per 100,000 residents in the 2020 Census Bureau surname file, which translates to a frequency of 0.0431%.
Multiplying these two independent frequencies against the current US population of 342,754,338 gives an expected count of approximately 25 people with the full name Emerson Cunningham. This assumes statistical independence between first and last names, which is a simplification but produces reasonable estimates for most combinations.
Related
Other people named Emerson
Related
Other people with the surname Cunningham
FAQ
Emerson Cunningham: questions and answers
How many people are named Emerson Cunningham?
We estimate approximately 25 people in the United States share the full name Emerson Cunningham. That works out to about 1 in 13,710,174 Americans. This is calculated by combining the first-name frequency (0.0166%) with the surname frequency (43.11 per 100K) against the current US population.
How rare is the name Emerson Cunningham?
We classify Emerson Cunningham as "Very Rare". About 1 in 13,710,174 Americans share this exact first and last name combination.
Is Emerson a male or female name?
Emerson is predominantly unisex. Out of 63,935 total SSA registrations, 50.3% were male and 49.7% were female. See the full Emerson 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 share the full name Emerson Cunningham?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.