Ruby Nichols
There are approximately 65 people named Ruby Nichols living in the United States today. That makes this name combination very rare, occurring at a rate of about 1 in 5,273,144 Americans.
This estimate combines SSA birth records for the first name Ruby with Census Bureau frequency data for the surname Nichols. Below you will find a breakdown of both names, including popularity trends, gender data, and Census demographics where available.
Expected bearers
65
1 in 5,273,144
Named Ruby
141K
Alive today
Named Nichols
157K
Alive today
US population
343M
Denominator
Estimated living: 141K
Rarity: Common
Gender: Female
Peak year: 1924
Average age: 38
Top Census group: White (50.6%)
Estimated bearers: 157K
Rarity: Common
Census rank: #206
Per 100K: 45.73
Top ancestry: White (79.3%)
First name trend
Ruby: popularity over time
Year-by-year SSA birth registrations for the first name Ruby. The peak year was 1924 with 8,472 births. The average person named Ruby today is 38 years old.
Babies born per year
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ruby
Self-reported race and ethnicity breakdown for people with the first name Ruby, from the 2020 US Census Bureau first-name tables. The largest published group is White at 50.6%.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Ruby 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 Ruby at the time of the Census. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity.
- White50.6% · 70,907
- Hispanic or Latino24.0% · 33,648
- Black or African American16.9% · 23,616
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.4% · 6,168
- Two or more races3.3% · 4,663
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 1,131
Ethnicity
Ancestry of the Nichols surname
Self-reported race and ethnicity breakdown for people with the surname Nichols, from the 2020 US Census Bureau. The largest group is White at 79.3%.
The bar chart below shows how people with the surname Nichols 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 Nichols at the time of the Census. A surname does not determine a person's race or ethnicity.
- White79.3% · 108,450
- Black or African American11.7% · 15,947
- Two or more races4.3% · 5,823
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 4,674
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 905
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 893
Methodology
How we calculated this
The first name Ruby has a living-bearer frequency of 0.0412% of the US population, based on 141,288 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 Ruby right now.
The surname Nichols appears at a rate of 45.73 per 100,000 residents in the 2020 Census Bureau surname file, which translates to a frequency of 0.0457%.
Multiplying these two independent frequencies against the current US population of 342,754,338 gives an expected count of approximately 65 people with the full name Ruby Nichols. This assumes statistical independence between first and last names, which is a simplification but produces reasonable estimates for most combinations.
Related
Other people named Ruby
Related
Other people with the surname Nichols
FAQ
Ruby Nichols: questions and answers
How many people are named Ruby Nichols?
We estimate approximately 65 people in the United States share the full name Ruby Nichols. That works out to about 1 in 5,273,144 Americans. This is calculated by combining the first-name frequency (0.0412%) with the surname frequency (45.73 per 100K) against the current US population.
How rare is the name Ruby Nichols?
We classify Ruby Nichols as "Very Rare". About 1 in 5,273,144 Americans share this exact first and last name combination.
Is Ruby a male or female name?
Ruby is predominantly female. Out of 376,074 total SSA registrations, 0.8% were male and 99.2% were female. See the full Ruby 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 common is the name Ruby Nichols?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people are called Ruby Nichols at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.