Karl Golden
There are approximately 11 people named Karl Golden living in the United States today. That makes this name combination very rare, occurring at a rate of about 1 in 31,159,485 Americans.
This estimate combines SSA birth records for the first name Karl with Census Bureau frequency data for the surname Golden. Below you will find a breakdown of both names, including popularity trends, gender data, and Census demographics where available.
Expected bearers
11
1 in 31,159,485
Named Karl
70K
Alive today
Named Golden
55K
Alive today
US population
343M
Denominator
Estimated living: 70K
Rarity: Uncommon
Gender: Male
Peak year: 1960
Average age: 56
Top Census group: White (80.7%)
Estimated bearers: 55K
Rarity: Uncommon
Census rank: #702
Per 100K: 15.90
Top ancestry: White (72.0%)
First name trend
Karl: popularity over time
Year-by-year SSA birth registrations for the first name Karl. The peak year was 1960 with 2,614 births. The average person named Karl today is 56 years old.
Babies born per year
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Karl
Self-reported race and ethnicity breakdown for people with the first name Karl, from the 2020 US Census Bureau first-name tables. The largest published group is White at 80.7%.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Karl 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 Karl at the time of the Census. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity.
- White80.7% · 59,366
- Black or African American10.6% · 7,768
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 2,264
- Two or more races2.6% · 1,913
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.5% · 1,870
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 342
Ethnicity
Ancestry of the Golden surname
Self-reported race and ethnicity breakdown for people with the surname Golden, from the 2020 US Census Bureau. The largest group is White at 72.0%.
The bar chart below shows how people with the surname Golden 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 Golden at the time of the Census. A surname does not determine a person's race or ethnicity.
- White72.0% · 34,231
- Black or African American19.1% · 9,085
- Two or more races4.1% · 1,938
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 1,570
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 361
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 348
Methodology
How we calculated this
The first name Karl has a living-bearer frequency of 0.0204% of the US population, based on 69,799 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 Karl right now.
The surname Golden appears at a rate of 15.90 per 100,000 residents in the 2020 Census Bureau surname file, which translates to a frequency of 0.0159%.
Multiplying these two independent frequencies against the current US population of 342,754,338 gives an expected count of approximately 11 people with the full name Karl Golden. This assumes statistical independence between first and last names, which is a simplification but produces reasonable estimates for most combinations.
Related
Other people named Karl
FAQ
Karl Golden: questions and answers
How many people are named Karl Golden?
We estimate approximately 11 people in the United States share the full name Karl Golden. That works out to about 1 in 31,159,485 Americans. This is calculated by combining the first-name frequency (0.0204%) with the surname frequency (15.90 per 100K) against the current US population.
How rare is the name Karl Golden?
We classify Karl Golden as "Very Rare". About 1 in 31,159,485 Americans share this exact first and last name combination.
Is Karl a male or female name?
Karl is predominantly male. Out of 101,648 total SSA registrations, 99.1% were male and 0.9% were female. See the full Karl 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 Karl Golden?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.