Penelope Bowling
There are approximately 8 people named Penelope Bowling living in the United States today. That makes this name combination very rare, occurring at a rate of about 1 in 42,844,292 Americans.
This estimate combines SSA birth records for the first name Penelope 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
8
1 in 42,844,292
Named Penelope
95K
Alive today
Named Bowling
29K
Alive today
US population
343M
Denominator
Estimated living: 95K
Rarity: Uncommon
Gender: Female
Peak year: 2019
Average age: 16
Top Census group: White (63.9%)
Estimated bearers: 29K
Rarity: Uncommon
Census rank: #1,384
Per 100K: 8.43
Top ancestry: White (88.7%)
First name trend
Penelope: popularity over time
Year-by-year SSA birth registrations for the first name Penelope. The peak year was 2019 with 6,733 births. The average person named Penelope today is 16 years old.
Babies born per year
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Penelope
Self-reported race and ethnicity breakdown for people with the first name Penelope, from the 2020 US Census Bureau first-name tables. The largest published group is White at 63.9%.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Penelope 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 Penelope at the time of the Census. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity.
- White63.9% · 42,040
- Hispanic or Latino24.3% · 15,962
- Two or more races6.1% · 4,006
- Black or African American2.8% · 1,852
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.4% · 1,574
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 379
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 Penelope has a living-bearer frequency of 0.0278% of the US population, based on 95,267 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 Penelope 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 8 people with the full name Penelope Bowling. This assumes statistical independence between first and last names, which is a simplification but produces reasonable estimates for most combinations.
Related
Other people named Penelope
Related
Other people with the surname Bowling
FAQ
Penelope Bowling: questions and answers
How many people are named Penelope Bowling?
We estimate approximately 8 people in the United States share the full name Penelope Bowling. That works out to about 1 in 42,844,292 Americans. This is calculated by combining the first-name frequency (0.0278%) with the surname frequency (8.43 per 100K) against the current US population.
How rare is the name Penelope Bowling?
We classify Penelope Bowling as "Very Rare". About 1 in 42,844,292 Americans share this exact first and last name combination.
Is Penelope a male or female name?
Penelope is predominantly female. Out of 103,268 total SSA registrations, 0.1% were male and 99.9% were female. See the full Penelope 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 Penelope Bowling?
For a quick modern take, check how many people are called Penelope Bowling on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.