Sonny Liston
There are approximately 1 people named Sonny Liston 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 Sonny with Census Bureau frequency data for the surname Liston. 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 Sonny
19K
Alive today
Named Liston
4.9K
Alive today
US population
343M
Denominator
Estimated living: 19K
Rarity: Uncommon
Gender: Male
Peak year: 2024
Average age: 31
Top Census group: White (44.3%)
Estimated bearers: 4.9K
Rarity: Rare
Census rank: #7,453
Per 100K: 1.44
Top ancestry: White (88.9%)
First name trend
Sonny: popularity over time
Year-by-year SSA birth registrations for the first name Sonny. The peak year was 2024 with 1,096 births. The average person named Sonny today is 31 years old.
Babies born per year
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sonny
Self-reported race and ethnicity breakdown for people with the first name Sonny, from the 2020 US Census Bureau first-name tables. The largest published group is White at 44.3%.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Sonny 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 Sonny at the time of the Census. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity.
- White44.3% · 6,834
- Hispanic or Latino20.6% · 3,174
- Asian and Pacific Islander20.2% · 3,120
- Black or African American7.8% · 1,205
- Two or more races4.5% · 687
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.6% · 408
Ethnicity
Ancestry of the Liston surname
Self-reported race and ethnicity breakdown for people with the surname Liston, from the 2020 US Census Bureau. The largest group is White at 88.9%.
The bar chart below shows how people with the surname Liston 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 Liston at the time of the Census. A surname does not determine a person's race or ethnicity.
- White88.9% · 3,833
- Black or African American2.9% · 123
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 122
- Two or more races2.6% · 112
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 73
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.1% · 49
Methodology
How we calculated this
The first name Sonny has a living-bearer frequency of 0.0056% of the US population, based on 19,097 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 Sonny right now.
The surname Liston appears at a rate of 1.44 per 100,000 residents in the 2020 Census Bureau surname file, which translates to a frequency of 0.0014%.
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 Sonny Liston. This assumes statistical independence between first and last names, which is a simplification but produces reasonable estimates for most combinations.
Related
Other people named Sonny
FAQ
Sonny Liston: questions and answers
How many people are named Sonny Liston?
We estimate approximately 1 people in the United States share the full name Sonny Liston. That works out to about 1 in 342,754,338 Americans. This is calculated by combining the first-name frequency (0.0056%) with the surname frequency (1.44 per 100K) against the current US population.
How rare is the name Sonny Liston?
We classify Sonny Liston as "Very Rare". About 1 in 342,754,338 Americans share this exact first and last name combination.
Is Sonny a male or female name?
Sonny is predominantly male. Out of 22,158 total SSA registrations, 95.6% were male and 4.4% were female. See the full Sonny 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 Sonny Liston?
For a quick modern take, check how common the name Sonny Liston is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.