Nicholas Ray
There are approximately 371 people named Nicholas Ray living in the United States today. That makes this name combination very rare, occurring at a rate of about 1 in 923,866 Americans.
This estimate combines SSA birth records for the first name Nicholas with Census Bureau frequency data for the surname Ray. Below you will find a breakdown of both names, including popularity trends, gender data, and Census demographics where available.
Expected bearers
371
1 in 923,866
Named Nicholas
852K
Alive today
Named Ray
149K
Alive today
US population
343M
Denominator
Estimated living: 852K
Rarity: Very Common
Gender: Male
Peak year: 1995
Average age: 33
Top Census group: White (77.5%)
Estimated bearers: 149K
Rarity: Common
Census rank: #219
Per 100K: 43.59
Top ancestry: White (71.2%)
First name trend
Nicholas: popularity over time
Year-by-year SSA birth registrations for the first name Nicholas. The peak year was 1995 with 29,217 births. The average person named Nicholas today is 33 years old.
Babies born per year
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Nicholas
Self-reported race and ethnicity breakdown for people with the first name Nicholas, from the 2020 US Census Bureau first-name tables. The largest published group is White at 77.5%.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Nicholas 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 Nicholas at the time of the Census. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity.
- White77.5% · 551,142
- Hispanic or Latino11.5% · 81,481
- Black or African American4.7% · 33,733
- Two or more races3.9% · 27,729
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.0% · 14,012
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 3,213
Ethnicity
Ancestry of the Ray surname
Self-reported race and ethnicity breakdown for people with the surname Ray, from the 2020 US Census Bureau. The largest group is White at 71.2%.
The bar chart below shows how people with the surname Ray 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 Ray at the time of the Census. A surname does not determine a person's race or ethnicity.
- White71.2% · 92,801
- Black or African American17.1% · 22,264
- Two or more races4.6% · 6,004
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 4,521
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.7% · 3,539
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1,160
Methodology
How we calculated this
The first name Nicholas has a living-bearer frequency of 0.2485% of the US population, based on 851,882 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 Nicholas right now.
The surname Ray appears at a rate of 43.59 per 100,000 residents in the 2020 Census Bureau surname file, which translates to a frequency of 0.0436%.
Multiplying these two independent frequencies against the current US population of 342,754,338 gives an expected count of approximately 371 people with the full name Nicholas Ray. This assumes statistical independence between first and last names, which is a simplification but produces reasonable estimates for most combinations.
Related
Other people named Nicholas
Related
Other people with the surname Ray
FAQ
Nicholas Ray: questions and answers
How many people are named Nicholas Ray?
We estimate approximately 371 people in the United States share the full name Nicholas Ray. That works out to about 1 in 923,866 Americans. This is calculated by combining the first-name frequency (0.2485%) with the surname frequency (43.59 per 100K) against the current US population.
How rare is the name Nicholas Ray?
We classify Nicholas Ray as "Very Rare". About 1 in 923,866 Americans share this exact first and last name combination.
Is Nicholas a male or female name?
Nicholas is predominantly male. Out of 926,036 total SSA registrations, 99.7% were male and 0.3% were female. See the full Nicholas 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 Nicholas Ray?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.