Nellie Bowling
There are approximately 2 people named Nellie Bowling 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 Nellie with Census Bureau frequency data for the surname Bowling. 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 Nellie
22K
Alive today
Named Bowling
29K
Alive today
US population
343M
Denominator
Estimated living: 22K
Rarity: Uncommon
Gender: Female
Peak year: 1918
Average age: 60
Top Census group: White (59.6%)
Estimated bearers: 29K
Rarity: Uncommon
Census rank: #1,384
Per 100K: 8.43
Top ancestry: White (88.7%)
First name trend
Nellie: popularity over time
Year-by-year SSA birth registrations for the first name Nellie. The peak year was 1918 with 4,057 births. The average person named Nellie today is 60 years old.
Babies born per year
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Nellie
Self-reported race and ethnicity breakdown for people with the first name Nellie, from the 2020 US Census Bureau first-name tables. The largest published group is White at 59.6%.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Nellie 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 Nellie at the time of the Census. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity.
- White59.6% · 15,655
- Black or African American17.0% · 4,476
- Hispanic or Latino15.1% · 3,972
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.5% · 920
- Two or more races2.4% · 635
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.3% · 596
Ethnicity
Ancestry of the Bowling surname
Self-reported race and ethnicity breakdown for people with the surname Bowling, from the 2020 US Census Bureau. The largest group is White at 88.7%.
The bar chart below shows how people with the surname Bowling 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 Bowling at the time of the Census. A surname does not determine a person's race or ethnicity.
- White88.7% · 22,342
- Black or African American4.5% · 1,122
- Two or more races3.8% · 959
- Hispanic or Latino2.2% · 545
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 113
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 108
Methodology
How we calculated this
The first name Nellie has a living-bearer frequency of 0.0065% of the US population, based on 22,376 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 Nellie right now.
The surname Bowling appears at a rate of 8.43 per 100,000 residents in the 2020 Census Bureau surname file, which translates to a frequency of 0.0084%.
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 Nellie Bowling. 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 Bowling
FAQ
Nellie Bowling: questions and answers
How many people are named Nellie Bowling?
We estimate approximately 2 people in the United States share the full name Nellie Bowling. That works out to about 1 in 171,377,169 Americans. This is calculated by combining the first-name frequency (0.0065%) with the surname frequency (8.43 per 100K) against the current US population.
How rare is the name Nellie Bowling?
We classify Nellie Bowling as "Very Rare". About 1 in 171,377,169 Americans share this exact first and last name combination.
Is Nellie a male or female name?
Nellie is predominantly female. Out of 152,715 total SSA registrations, 0.4% were male and 99.6% were female. See the full Nellie 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 are called Nellie Bowling?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.