Seth Murphy
There are approximately 157 people named Seth Murphy living in the United States today. That makes this name combination very rare, occurring at a rate of about 1 in 2,183,149 Americans.
This estimate combines SSA birth records for the first name Seth with Census Bureau frequency data for the surname Murphy. Below you will find a breakdown of both names, including popularity trends, gender data, and Census demographics where available.
Expected bearers
157
1 in 2,183,149
Named Seth
157K
Alive today
Named Murphy
342K
Alive today
US population
343M
Denominator
Estimated living: 157K
Rarity: Common
Gender: Male
Peak year: 2000
Average age: 31
Top Census group: White (82.7%)
Estimated bearers: 342K
Rarity: Common
Census rank: #65
Per 100K: 99.72
Top ancestry: White (80.5%)
First name trend
Seth: popularity over time
Year-by-year SSA birth registrations for the first name Seth. The peak year was 2000 with 6,725 births. The average person named Seth today is 31 years old.
Babies born per year
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Seth
Self-reported race and ethnicity breakdown for people with the first name Seth, from the 2020 US Census Bureau first-name tables. The largest published group is White at 82.7%.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Seth 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 Seth at the time of the Census. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity.
- White82.7% · 119,305
- Hispanic or Latino6.8% · 9,873
- Two or more races4.5% · 6,510
- Black or African American3.8% · 5,494
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.3% · 1,868
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1,262
Ethnicity
Ancestry of the Murphy surname
Self-reported race and ethnicity breakdown for people with the surname Murphy, from the 2020 US Census Bureau. The largest group is White at 80.5%.
The bar chart below shows how people with the surname Murphy 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 Murphy at the time of the Census. A surname does not determine a person's race or ethnicity.
- White80.5% · 240,008
- Black or African American11.2% · 33,271
- Two or more races3.6% · 10,592
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 10,279
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 2,158
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 1,739
Methodology
How we calculated this
The first name Seth has a living-bearer frequency of 0.0459% of the US population, based on 157,417 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 Seth right now.
The surname Murphy appears at a rate of 99.72 per 100,000 residents in the 2020 Census Bureau surname file, which translates to a frequency of 0.0997%.
Multiplying these two independent frequencies against the current US population of 342,754,338 gives an expected count of approximately 157 people with the full name Seth Murphy. This assumes statistical independence between first and last names, which is a simplification but produces reasonable estimates for most combinations.
Related
Other people named Seth
Related
Other people with the surname Murphy
FAQ
Seth Murphy: questions and answers
How many people are named Seth Murphy?
We estimate approximately 157 people in the United States share the full name Seth Murphy. That works out to about 1 in 2,183,149 Americans. This is calculated by combining the first-name frequency (0.0459%) with the surname frequency (99.72 per 100K) against the current US population.
How rare is the name Seth Murphy?
We classify Seth Murphy as "Very Rare". About 1 in 2,183,149 Americans share this exact first and last name combination.
Is Seth a male or female name?
Seth is predominantly male. Out of 165,768 total SSA registrations, 99.7% were male and 0.3% were female. See the full Seth 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 called Seth Murphy?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.