Paula Chesnut
There are approximately 2 people named Paula Chesnut 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 Paula with Census Bureau frequency data for the surname Chesnut. 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 Paula
202K
Alive today
Named Chesnut
3.8K
Alive today
US population
343M
Denominator
Estimated living: 202K
Rarity: Common
Gender: Female
Peak year: 1963
Average age: 61
Top Census group: White (74.2%)
Estimated bearers: 3.8K
Rarity: Rare
Census rank: #9,354
Per 100K: 1.12
Top ancestry: White (90.1%)
First name trend
Paula: popularity over time
Year-by-year SSA birth registrations for the first name Paula. The peak year was 1963 with 10,178 births. The average person named Paula today is 61 years old.
Babies born per year
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Paula
Self-reported race and ethnicity breakdown for people with the first name Paula, from the 2020 US Census Bureau first-name tables. The largest published group is White at 74.2%.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Paula 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 Paula at the time of the Census. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity.
- White74.2% · 190,246
- Hispanic or Latino14.6% · 37,404
- Black or African American7.2% · 18,512
- Two or more races2.2% · 5,588
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 3,037
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 1,635
Ethnicity
Ancestry of the Chesnut surname
Self-reported race and ethnicity breakdown for people with the surname Chesnut, from the 2020 US Census Bureau. The largest group is White at 90.1%.
The bar chart below shows how people with the surname Chesnut 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 Chesnut at the time of the Census. A surname does not determine a person's race or ethnicity.
- White90.1% · 3,010
- Two or more races3.5% · 117
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 104
- Black or African American1.9% · 65
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 22
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 21
Methodology
How we calculated this
The first name Paula has a living-bearer frequency of 0.0590% of the US population, based on 202,061 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 Paula right now.
The surname Chesnut appears at a rate of 1.12 per 100,000 residents in the 2020 Census Bureau surname file, which translates to a frequency of 0.0011%.
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 Paula Chesnut. This assumes statistical independence between first and last names, which is a simplification but produces reasonable estimates for most combinations.
Related
Other people named Paula
FAQ
Paula Chesnut: questions and answers
How many people are named Paula Chesnut?
We estimate approximately 2 people in the United States share the full name Paula Chesnut. That works out to about 1 in 171,377,169 Americans. This is calculated by combining the first-name frequency (0.0590%) with the surname frequency (1.12 per 100K) against the current US population.
How rare is the name Paula Chesnut?
We classify Paula Chesnut as "Very Rare". About 1 in 171,377,169 Americans share this exact first and last name combination.
Is Paula a male or female name?
Paula is predominantly female. Out of 281,450 total SSA registrations, 0.3% were male and 99.7% were female. See the full Paula 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 share the full name Paula Chesnut?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.