Ray Charles
There are approximately 20 people named Ray Charles living in the United States today. That makes this name combination very rare, occurring at a rate of about 1 in 17,137,717 Americans.
This estimate combines SSA birth records for the first name Ray with Census Bureau frequency data for the surname Charles. Below you will find a breakdown of both names, including popularity trends, gender data, and Census demographics where available.
Expected bearers
20
1 in 17,137,717
Named Ray
97K
Alive today
Named Charles
72K
Alive today
US population
343M
Denominator
Estimated living: 97K
Rarity: Uncommon
Gender: Male
Peak year: 1926
Average age: 61
Top Census group: White (61.5%)
Estimated bearers: 72K
Rarity: Uncommon
Census rank: #526
Per 100K: 20.97
Top ancestry: Black (55.2%)
First name trend
Ray: popularity over time
Year-by-year SSA birth registrations for the first name Ray. The peak year was 1926 with 3,529 births. The average person named Ray today is 61 years old.
Babies born per year
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ray
Self-reported race and ethnicity breakdown for people with the first name Ray, from the 2020 US Census Bureau first-name tables. The largest published group is White at 61.5%.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name 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 name Ray at the time of the Census. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity.
- White61.5% · 66,146
- Hispanic or Latino15.4% · 16,548
- Black or African American14.5% · 15,634
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.8% · 5,149
- Two or more races2.7% · 2,888
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.1% · 1,223
Ethnicity
Ancestry of the Charles surname
Self-reported race and ethnicity breakdown for people with the surname Charles, from the 2020 US Census Bureau. The largest group is Black at 55.2%.
The bar chart below shows how people with the surname Charles 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 Charles at the time of the Census. A surname does not determine a person's race or ethnicity.
- Black or African American55.2% · 34,620
- White28.9% · 18,110
- Hispanic or Latino8.9% · 5,591
- Two or more races3.9% · 2,443
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.7% · 1,095
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.3% · 827
Methodology
How we calculated this
The first name Ray has a living-bearer frequency of 0.0283% of the US population, based on 96,943 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 Ray right now.
The surname Charles appears at a rate of 20.97 per 100,000 residents in the 2020 Census Bureau surname file, which translates to a frequency of 0.0210%.
Multiplying these two independent frequencies against the current US population of 342,754,338 gives an expected count of approximately 20 people with the full name Ray Charles. This assumes statistical independence between first and last names, which is a simplification but produces reasonable estimates for most combinations.
Related
Other people named Ray
Related
Other people with the surname Charles
FAQ
Ray Charles: questions and answers
How many people are named Ray Charles?
We estimate approximately 20 people in the United States share the full name Ray Charles. That works out to about 1 in 17,137,717 Americans. This is calculated by combining the first-name frequency (0.0283%) with the surname frequency (20.97 per 100K) against the current US population.
How rare is the name Ray Charles?
We classify Ray Charles as "Very Rare". About 1 in 17,137,717 Americans share this exact first and last name combination.
Is Ray a male or female name?
Ray is predominantly male. Out of 209,970 total SSA registrations, 97.3% were male and 2.7% were female. See the full Ray 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 Ray Charles?
Find out how common the name Ray Charles is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.