Harlan Ellison
There are approximately 2 people named Harlan Ellison living in the United States today. That makes this name combination very rare, occurring at a rate of about 1 in 171,377,169 Americans.
This estimate combines SSA birth records for the first name Harlan with Census Bureau frequency data for the surname Ellison. Below you will find a breakdown of both names, including popularity trends, gender data, and Census demographics where available.
Expected bearers
2
1 in 171,377,169
Named Harlan
14K
Alive today
Named Ellison
47K
Alive today
US population
343M
Denominator
Estimated living: 14K
Rarity: Uncommon
Gender: Male
Peak year: 1924
Average age: 44
Top Census group: White (84.9%)
Estimated bearers: 47K
Rarity: Uncommon
Census rank: #829
Per 100K: 13.64
Top ancestry: White (63.4%)
First name trend
Harlan: popularity over time
Year-by-year SSA birth registrations for the first name Harlan. The peak year was 1924 with 519 births. The average person named Harlan today is 44 years old.
Babies born per year
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Harlan
Self-reported race and ethnicity breakdown for people with the first name Harlan, from the 2020 US Census Bureau first-name tables. The largest published group is White at 84.9%.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Harlan 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 Harlan at the time of the Census. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity.
- White84.9% · 10,696
- Black or African American5.4% · 677
- Two or more races3.4% · 425
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 382
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.9% · 235
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.5% · 188
Ethnicity
Ancestry of the Ellison surname
Self-reported race and ethnicity breakdown for people with the surname Ellison, from the 2020 US Census Bureau. The largest group is White at 63.4%.
The bar chart below shows how people with the surname Ellison 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 Ellison at the time of the Census. A surname does not determine a person's race or ethnicity.
- White63.4% · 25,835
- Black or African American27.3% · 11,141
- Two or more races4.6% · 1,861
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 1,359
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 313
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 271
Methodology
How we calculated this
The first name Harlan has a living-bearer frequency of 0.0041% of the US population, based on 14,169 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 Harlan right now.
The surname Ellison appears at a rate of 13.64 per 100,000 residents in the 2020 Census Bureau surname file, which translates to a frequency of 0.0136%.
Multiplying these two independent frequencies against the current US population of 342,754,338 gives an expected count of approximately 2 people with the full name Harlan Ellison. This assumes statistical independence between first and last names, which is a simplification but produces reasonable estimates for most combinations.
Related
Other people named Harlan
Related
Other people with the surname Ellison
FAQ
Harlan Ellison: questions and answers
How many people are named Harlan Ellison?
We estimate approximately 2 people in the United States share the full name Harlan Ellison. That works out to about 1 in 171,377,169 Americans. This is calculated by combining the first-name frequency (0.0041%) with the surname frequency (13.64 per 100K) against the current US population.
How rare is the name Harlan Ellison?
We classify Harlan Ellison as "Very Rare". About 1 in 171,377,169 Americans share this exact first and last name combination.
Is Harlan a male or female name?
Harlan is predominantly male. Out of 26,489 total SSA registrations, 98.3% were male and 1.7% were female. See the full Harlan 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 have the full name Harlan Ellison?
If you just want to know how common the name Harlan Ellison is, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.