Langston Hughes
There are approximately 5 people named Langston Hughes living in the United States today. That makes this name combination very rare, occurring at a rate of about 1 in 68,550,868 Americans.
This estimate combines SSA birth records for the first name Langston with Census Bureau frequency data for the surname Hughes. Below you will find a breakdown of both names, including popularity trends, gender data, and Census demographics where available.
Expected bearers
5
1 in 68,550,868
Named Langston
7.0K
Alive today
Named Hughes
260K
Alive today
US population
343M
Denominator
Estimated living: 7.0K
Rarity: Rare
Gender: Male
Peak year: 2016
Average age: 16
Top Census group: Black or African American (56.1%)
Estimated bearers: 260K
Rarity: Common
Census rank: #96
Per 100K: 75.92
Top ancestry: White (75.5%)
First name trend
Langston: popularity over time
Year-by-year SSA birth registrations for the first name Langston. The peak year was 2016 with 425 births. The average person named Langston today is 16 years old.
Babies born per year
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Langston
Self-reported race and ethnicity breakdown for people with the first name Langston, from the 2020 US Census Bureau first-name tables. The largest published group is Black or African American at 56.1%.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Langston 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 Langston at the time of the Census. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity.
- Black or African American56.1% · 2,826
- White25.2% · 1,271
- Two or more races11.8% · 595
- Hispanic or Latino4.8% · 241
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.3% · 66
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 38
Ethnicity
Ancestry of the Hughes surname
Self-reported race and ethnicity breakdown for people with the surname Hughes, from the 2020 US Census Bureau. The largest group is White at 75.5%.
The bar chart below shows how people with the surname Hughes 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 Hughes at the time of the Census. A surname does not determine a person's race or ethnicity.
- White75.5% · 171,334
- Black or African American15.8% · 35,769
- Two or more races4.1% · 9,374
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 7,792
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 1,500
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 1,143
Methodology
How we calculated this
The first name Langston has a living-bearer frequency of 0.0021% of the US population, based on 7,048 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 Langston right now.
The surname Hughes appears at a rate of 75.92 per 100,000 residents in the 2020 Census Bureau surname file, which translates to a frequency of 0.0759%.
Multiplying these two independent frequencies against the current US population of 342,754,338 gives an expected count of approximately 5 people with the full name Langston Hughes. This assumes statistical independence between first and last names, which is a simplification but produces reasonable estimates for most combinations.
Related
Other people with the surname Hughes
FAQ
Langston Hughes: questions and answers
How many people are named Langston Hughes?
We estimate approximately 5 people in the United States share the full name Langston Hughes. That works out to about 1 in 68,550,868 Americans. This is calculated by combining the first-name frequency (0.0021%) with the surname frequency (75.92 per 100K) against the current US population.
How rare is the name Langston Hughes?
We classify Langston Hughes as "Very Rare". About 1 in 68,550,868 Americans share this exact first and last name combination.
Is Langston a male or female name?
Langston is predominantly male. Out of 7,427 total SSA registrations, 95.4% were male and 4.6% were female. See the full Langston 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 Langston Hughes?
For a quick modern take, check how many people are called Langston Hughes on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.