Luther Vandross
There are approximately 1 people named Luther Vandross living in the United States today. That makes this name combination very rare, occurring at a rate of about 1 in 342,754,338 Americans.
This estimate combines SSA birth records for the first name Luther with Census Bureau frequency data for the surname Vandross. Below you will find a breakdown of both names, including popularity trends, gender data, and Census demographics where available.
Expected bearers
1
1 in 342,754,338
Named Luther
23K
Alive today
Named Vandross
198
Alive today
US population
343M
Denominator
Estimated living: 23K
Rarity: Uncommon
Gender: Male
Peak year: 1922
Average age: 62
Top Census group: White (59.3%)
Estimated bearers: 198
Rarity: Very Rare
Census rank: #108,965
Per 100K: 0.06
Top ancestry: Black (86.7%)
First name trend
Luther: popularity over time
Year-by-year SSA birth registrations for the first name Luther. The peak year was 1922 with 1,490 births. The average person named Luther today is 62 years old.
Babies born per year
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Luther
Self-reported race and ethnicity breakdown for people with the first name Luther, from the 2020 US Census Bureau first-name tables. The largest published group is White at 59.3%.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Luther 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 Luther at the time of the Census. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity.
- White59.3% · 11,667
- Black or African American32.5% · 6,382
- Two or more races3.5% · 692
- Hispanic or Latino2.1% · 420
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.3% · 265
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 240
Ethnicity
Ancestry of the Vandross surname
Self-reported race and ethnicity breakdown for people with the surname Vandross, from the 2020 US Census Bureau. The largest group is Black at 86.7%.
The bar chart below shows how people with the surname Vandross 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 Vandross at the time of the Census. A surname does not determine a person's race or ethnicity.
- Black or African American86.7% · 150
- Hispanic or Latino9.8% · 17
- Two or more races2.3% · 4
- White1.2% · 2
Methodology
How we calculated this
The first name Luther has a living-bearer frequency of 0.0067% of the US population, based on 22,977 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 Luther right now.
The surname Vandross appears at a rate of 0.06 per 100,000 residents in the 2020 Census Bureau surname file, which translates to a frequency of 0.0001%.
Multiplying these two independent frequencies against the current US population of 342,754,338 gives an expected count of approximately 1 people with the full name Luther Vandross. This assumes statistical independence between first and last names, which is a simplification but produces reasonable estimates for most combinations.
Related
Other people named Luther
FAQ
Luther Vandross: questions and answers
How many people are named Luther Vandross?
We estimate approximately 1 people in the United States share the full name Luther Vandross. That works out to about 1 in 342,754,338 Americans. This is calculated by combining the first-name frequency (0.0067%) with the surname frequency (0.06 per 100K) against the current US population.
How rare is the name Luther Vandross?
We classify Luther Vandross as "Very Rare". About 1 in 342,754,338 Americans share this exact first and last name combination.
Is Luther a male or female name?
Luther is predominantly male. Out of 67,297 total SSA registrations, 99.4% were male and 0.6% were female. See the full Luther 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 common is the name Luther Vandross?
Find out how many people are called Luther Vandross on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.