Ernie Banks
There are approximately 4 people named Ernie Banks living in the United States today. That makes this name combination very rare, occurring at a rate of about 1 in 85,688,585 Americans.
This estimate combines SSA birth records for the first name Ernie with Census Bureau frequency data for the surname Banks. Below you will find a breakdown of both names, including popularity trends, gender data, and ancestry information.
Expected bearers
4
1 in 85,688,585
Named Ernie
11K
Alive today
Named Banks
123K
Alive today
US population
343M
Denominator
Estimated living: 11K
Rarity: Uncommon
Gender: Male
Peak year: 1959
Average age: 60
Estimated bearers: 123K
Rarity: Common
Census rank: #292
Per 100K: 35.88
Top ancestry: Black (54.5%)
First name trend
Ernie: popularity over time
Year-by-year SSA birth registrations for the first name Ernie. The peak year was 1959 with 455 births. The average person named Ernie today is 60 years old.
Babies born per year
Ethnicity
Ancestry of the Banks surname
Self-reported race and ethnicity breakdown for people with the surname Banks, from the 2010 US Census Bureau. The largest group is Black at 54.5%.
- Black or African American54.5%
- White39.3%
- Two or more races3.0%
- Hispanic or Latino2.5%
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4%
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4%
Methodology
How we calculated this
The first name Ernie has a living-bearer frequency of 0.0033% of the US population, based on 11,159 estimated living Americans carrying this first name (from SSA birth records going back to 1880, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables).
The surname Banks appears at a rate of 35.88 per 100,000 residents in the 2010 Census Bureau surname file, which translates to a frequency of 0.0359%.
Multiplying these two independent frequencies against the current US population of 342,754,338 gives an expected count of approximately 4 people with the full name Ernie Banks. This assumes statistical independence between first and last names, which is a simplification but produces reasonable estimates for most combinations.
Related
Other people named Ernie
Related
Other people with the surname Banks
FAQ
Ernie Banks: questions and answers
How many people are named Ernie Banks?
We estimate approximately 4 people in the United States share the full name Ernie Banks. That works out to about 1 in 85,688,585 Americans. This is calculated by combining the first-name frequency (0.0033%) with the surname frequency (35.88 per 100K) against the current US population.
How rare is the name Ernie Banks?
We classify Ernie Banks as "Very Rare". About 1 in 85,688,585 Americans share this exact first and last name combination.
Is Ernie a male or female name?
Ernie is predominantly male. Out of 17,215 total SSA registrations, 95.9% were male and 4.1% were female. See the full Ernie 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 2010 US Census Bureau decennial surname tables. Living-bearer estimates use CDC actuarial life tables to adjust for mortality. Read the full methodology.