Wilma Rudolph
There are approximately 2 people named Wilma Rudolph living in the United States today. That makes this name combination very rare, occurring at a rate of about 1 in 171,377,169 Americans.
This estimate combines SSA birth records for the first name Wilma with Census Bureau frequency data for the surname Rudolph. Below you will find a breakdown of both names, including popularity trends, gender data, and ancestry information.
Expected bearers
2
1 in 171,377,169
Named Wilma
30K
Alive today
Named Rudolph
23K
Alive today
US population
343M
Denominator
Estimated living: 30K
Rarity: Uncommon
Gender: Female
Peak year: 1925
Average age: 75
Estimated bearers: 23K
Rarity: Uncommon
Census rank: #1,808
Per 100K: 6.73
Top ancestry: White (72.9%)
First name trend
Wilma: popularity over time
Year-by-year SSA birth registrations for the first name Wilma. The peak year was 1925 with 4,202 births. The average person named Wilma today is 75 years old.
Babies born per year
Ethnicity
Ancestry of the Rudolph surname
Self-reported race and ethnicity breakdown for people with the surname Rudolph, from the 2010 US Census Bureau. The largest group is White at 72.9%.
- White72.9%
- Black or African American21.4%
- Hispanic or Latino2.6%
- Two or more races1.8%
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9%
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4%
Methodology
How we calculated this
The first name Wilma has a living-bearer frequency of 0.0089% of the US population, based on 30,492 estimated living Americans carrying this first name (from SSA birth records going back to 1880, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables).
The surname Rudolph appears at a rate of 6.73 per 100,000 residents in the 2010 Census Bureau surname file, which translates to a frequency of 0.0067%.
Multiplying these two independent frequencies against the current US population of 342,754,338 gives an expected count of approximately 2 people with the full name Wilma Rudolph. This assumes statistical independence between first and last names, which is a simplification but produces reasonable estimates for most combinations.
Related
Other people with the surname Rudolph
FAQ
Wilma Rudolph: questions and answers
How many people are named Wilma Rudolph?
We estimate approximately 2 people in the United States share the full name Wilma Rudolph. That works out to about 1 in 171,377,169 Americans. This is calculated by combining the first-name frequency (0.0089%) with the surname frequency (6.73 per 100K) against the current US population.
How rare is the name Wilma Rudolph?
We classify Wilma Rudolph as "Very Rare". About 1 in 171,377,169 Americans share this exact first and last name combination.
Is Wilma a male or female name?
Wilma is predominantly female. Out of 140,810 total SSA registrations, 0.5% were male and 99.5% were female. See the full Wilma 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 2010 US Census Bureau decennial surname tables. Living-bearer estimates use CDC actuarial life tables to adjust for mortality. Read the full methodology.