Wendell Pierce
There are approximately 14 people named Wendell Pierce living in the United States today. That makes this name combination very rare, occurring at a rate of about 1 in 24,482,453 Americans.
This estimate combines SSA birth records for the first name Wendell with Census Bureau frequency data for the surname Pierce. Below you will find a breakdown of both names, including popularity trends, gender data, and Census demographics where available.
Expected bearers
14
1 in 24,482,453
Named Wendell
31K
Alive today
Named Pierce
152K
Alive today
US population
343M
Denominator
Estimated living: 31K
Rarity: Uncommon
Gender: Male
Peak year: 1940
Average age: 61
Top Census group: White (60.1%)
Estimated bearers: 152K
Rarity: Common
Census rank: #213
Per 100K: 44.25
Top ancestry: White (77.8%)
First name trend
Wendell: popularity over time
Year-by-year SSA birth registrations for the first name Wendell. The peak year was 1940 with 1,650 births. The average person named Wendell today is 61 years old.
Babies born per year
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wendell
Self-reported race and ethnicity breakdown for people with the first name Wendell, from the 2020 US Census Bureau first-name tables. The largest published group is White at 60.1%.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Wendell 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 Wendell at the time of the Census. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity.
- White60.1% · 17,013
- Black or African American30.9% · 8,740
- Two or more races2.9% · 827
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.8% · 781
- Hispanic or Latino2.1% · 604
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.2% · 330
Ethnicity
Ancestry of the Pierce surname
Self-reported race and ethnicity breakdown for people with the surname Pierce, from the 2020 US Census Bureau. The largest group is White at 77.8%.
The bar chart below shows how people with the surname Pierce 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 Pierce at the time of the Census. A surname does not determine a person's race or ethnicity.
- White77.8% · 102,946
- Black or African American12.5% · 16,473
- Two or more races4.5% · 5,910
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 4,763
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 1,258
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 927
Methodology
How we calculated this
The first name Wendell has a living-bearer frequency of 0.0089% of the US population, based on 30,632 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 Wendell right now.
The surname Pierce appears at a rate of 44.25 per 100,000 residents in the 2020 Census Bureau surname file, which translates to a frequency of 0.0443%.
Multiplying these two independent frequencies against the current US population of 342,754,338 gives an expected count of approximately 14 people with the full name Wendell Pierce. This assumes statistical independence between first and last names, which is a simplification but produces reasonable estimates for most combinations.
Related
Other people named Wendell
Related
Other people with the surname Pierce
FAQ
Wendell Pierce: questions and answers
How many people are named Wendell Pierce?
We estimate approximately 14 people in the United States share the full name Wendell Pierce. That works out to about 1 in 24,482,453 Americans. This is calculated by combining the first-name frequency (0.0089%) with the surname frequency (44.25 per 100K) against the current US population.
How rare is the name Wendell Pierce?
We classify Wendell Pierce as "Very Rare". About 1 in 24,482,453 Americans share this exact first and last name combination.
Is Wendell a male or female name?
Wendell is predominantly male. Out of 54,263 total SSA registrations, 99.0% were male and 1.0% were female. See the full Wendell 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 Wendell Pierce?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.