Petula Clark
There are approximately 1 people named Petula Clark 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 Petula with Census Bureau frequency data for the surname Clark. 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 Petula
155
Alive today
Named Clark
619K
Alive today
US population
343M
Denominator
Estimated living: 155
Rarity: Very Rare
Gender: Female
Peak year: 1968
Average age: 57
Top Census group: Black or African American (55.2%)
Estimated bearers: 619K
Rarity: Very Common
Census rank: #28
Per 100K: 180.55
Top ancestry: White (72.0%)
First name trend
Petula: popularity over time
Year-by-year SSA birth registrations for the first name Petula. The peak year was 1968 with 39 births. The average person named Petula today is 57 years old.
Babies born per year
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Petula
Self-reported race and ethnicity breakdown for people with the first name Petula, from the 2020 US Census Bureau first-name tables. The largest published group is Black or African American at 55.2%.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Petula 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 Petula at the time of the Census. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity.
- Black or African American55.2% · 187
- White24.8% · 84
- Asian and Pacific Islander7.7% · 26
- Hispanic or Latino5.3% · 18
- Two or more races5.3% · 18
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.8% · 6
Ethnicity
Ancestry of the Clark surname
Self-reported race and ethnicity breakdown for people with the surname Clark, from the 2020 US Census Bureau. The largest group is White at 72.0%.
The bar chart below shows how people with the surname Clark 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 Clark at the time of the Census. A surname does not determine a person's race or ethnicity.
- White72.0% · 388,435
- Black or African American18.5% · 99,576
- Two or more races4.4% · 23,930
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 18,974
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 5,021
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 3,725
Methodology
How we calculated this
The first name Petula has a living-bearer frequency of 0.0000% of the US population, based on 155 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 Petula right now.
The surname Clark appears at a rate of 180.55 per 100,000 residents in the 2020 Census Bureau surname file, which translates to a frequency of 0.1806%.
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 Petula Clark. 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 Clark
FAQ
Petula Clark: questions and answers
How many people are named Petula Clark?
We estimate approximately 1 people in the United States share the full name Petula Clark. That works out to about 1 in 342,754,338 Americans. This is calculated by combining the first-name frequency (0.0000%) with the surname frequency (180.55 per 100K) against the current US population.
How rare is the name Petula Clark?
We classify Petula Clark as "Very Rare". About 1 in 342,754,338 Americans share this exact first and last name combination.
Is Petula a male or female name?
Petula is predominantly female. Out of 179 total SSA registrations, 0.0% were male and 100.0% were female. See the full Petula 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 named Petula Clark?
You can see how many people are called Petula Clark on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.