Terry Gilliam
There are approximately 37 people named Terry Gilliam living in the United States today. That makes this name combination very rare, occurring at a rate of about 1 in 9,263,631 Americans.
This estimate combines SSA birth records for the first name Terry with Census Bureau frequency data for the surname Gilliam. Below you will find a breakdown of both names, including popularity trends, gender data, and Census demographics where available.
Expected bearers
37
1 in 9,263,631
Named Terry
393K
Alive today
Named Gilliam
32K
Alive today
US population
343M
Denominator
Estimated living: 393K
Rarity: Common
Gender: Unisex
Peak year: 1955
Average age: 63
Top Census group: White (80.4%)
Estimated bearers: 32K
Rarity: Uncommon
Census rank: #1,233
Per 100K: 9.38
Top ancestry: White (58.8%)
First name trend
Terry: popularity over time
Year-by-year SSA birth registrations for the first name Terry. The peak year was 1955 with 20,939 births. The average person named Terry today is 63 years old.
Babies born per year
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Terry
Self-reported race and ethnicity breakdown for people with the first name Terry, from the 2020 US Census Bureau first-name tables. The largest published group is White at 80.4%.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Terry 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 Terry at the time of the Census. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity.
- White80.4% · 302,916
- Black or African American12.8% · 48,435
- Two or more races2.7% · 10,098
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 7,130
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.3% · 5,051
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 3,313
Ethnicity
Ancestry of the Gilliam surname
Self-reported race and ethnicity breakdown for people with the surname Gilliam, from the 2020 US Census Bureau. The largest group is White at 58.8%.
The bar chart below shows how people with the surname Gilliam 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 Gilliam at the time of the Census. A surname does not determine a person's race or ethnicity.
- White58.8% · 16,481
- Black or African American32.8% · 9,200
- Two or more races4.6% · 1,303
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 780
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 146
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 131
Methodology
How we calculated this
The first name Terry has a living-bearer frequency of 0.1146% of the US population, based on 392,854 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 Terry right now.
The surname Gilliam appears at a rate of 9.38 per 100,000 residents in the 2020 Census Bureau surname file, which translates to a frequency of 0.0094%.
Multiplying these two independent frequencies against the current US population of 342,754,338 gives an expected count of approximately 37 people with the full name Terry Gilliam. This assumes statistical independence between first and last names, which is a simplification but produces reasonable estimates for most combinations.
Related
Other people named Terry
Related
Other people with the surname Gilliam
FAQ
Terry Gilliam: questions and answers
How many people are named Terry Gilliam?
We estimate approximately 37 people in the United States share the full name Terry Gilliam. That works out to about 1 in 9,263,631 Americans. This is calculated by combining the first-name frequency (0.1146%) with the surname frequency (9.38 per 100K) against the current US population.
How rare is the name Terry Gilliam?
We classify Terry Gilliam as "Very Rare". About 1 in 9,263,631 Americans share this exact first and last name combination.
Is Terry a male or female name?
Terry is predominantly unisex. Out of 521,274 total SSA registrations, 81.4% were male and 18.6% were female. See the full Terry 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 Terry Gilliam?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.