Jim Matheson
There are approximately 2 people named Jim Matheson 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 Jim with Census Bureau frequency data for the surname Matheson. 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 Jim
84K
Alive today
Named Matheson
8.2K
Alive today
US population
343M
Denominator
Estimated living: 84K
Rarity: Uncommon
Gender: Male
Peak year: 1959
Average age: 68
Top Census group: White (83.6%)
Estimated bearers: 8.2K
Rarity: Rare
Census rank: #4,770
Per 100K: 2.41
Top ancestry: White (88.1%)
First name trend
Jim: popularity over time
Year-by-year SSA birth registrations for the first name Jim. The peak year was 1959 with 5,696 births. The average person named Jim today is 68 years old.
Babies born per year
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Jim
Self-reported race and ethnicity breakdown for people with the first name Jim, from the 2020 US Census Bureau first-name tables. The largest published group is White at 83.6%.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Jim 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 Jim at the time of the Census. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity.
- White83.6% · 83,029
- Hispanic or Latino4.9% · 4,874
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.6% · 4,575
- Black or African American3.9% · 3,827
- Two or more races2.1% · 2,084
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 953
Ethnicity
Ancestry of the Matheson surname
Self-reported race and ethnicity breakdown for people with the surname Matheson, from the 2020 US Census Bureau. The largest group is White at 88.1%.
The bar chart below shows how people with the surname Matheson 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 Matheson at the time of the Census. A surname does not determine a person's race or ethnicity.
- White88.1% · 6,334
- Two or more races3.9% · 283
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 214
- Black or African American2.8% · 202
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.2% · 84
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 76
Methodology
How we calculated this
The first name Jim has a living-bearer frequency of 0.0245% of the US population, based on 83,864 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 Jim right now.
The surname Matheson appears at a rate of 2.41 per 100,000 residents in the 2020 Census Bureau surname file, which translates to a frequency of 0.0024%.
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 Jim Matheson. This assumes statistical independence between first and last names, which is a simplification but produces reasonable estimates for most combinations.
Related
Other people named Jim
Related
Other people with the surname Matheson
FAQ
Jim Matheson: questions and answers
How many people are named Jim Matheson?
We estimate approximately 2 people in the United States share the full name Jim Matheson. That works out to about 1 in 171,377,169 Americans. This is calculated by combining the first-name frequency (0.0245%) with the surname frequency (2.41 per 100K) against the current US population.
How rare is the name Jim Matheson?
We classify Jim Matheson as "Very Rare". About 1 in 171,377,169 Americans share this exact first and last name combination.
Is Jim a male or female name?
Jim is predominantly male. Out of 153,899 total SSA registrations, 99.5% were male and 0.5% were female. See the full Jim 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 Americans are named Jim Matheson?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.