Wright
A masculine name of Old English origin meaning "maker" or "worker".
Name Census estimates that about 710 living Americans carry the first name Wright. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Wright today is around 42 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Wright births was 1915 (35 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Wright. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
710
~ 1 in 482,753 Americans
Peak year
1915
35 babies that year
Average age
42
years old
2024 SSA rank
#4,301
Tracked since 1880
Census
Wright in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 920 people with the first name Wright, which placed it at #13,211 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#13,211
National first-name rank
People counted
920
920 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.3
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
69.6% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wright
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Wright is White at 69.6%. The next largest groups are Black (23.3%) and Hispanic (2.5%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Wright described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Wright at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White69.6% · 640
- Black or African American23.3% · 214
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 23
- Two or more races1.8% · 17
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 16
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.1% · 10
Popularity
Wright: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Wright from the 1880s through to the 2020s, spanning 15 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 240 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1920s peak, Wright remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Wright by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Wright during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Wrights live
The SSA's state-level files cover 6 states and territories. Texas, Georgia, North Carolina recorded the most babies named Wright, while Tennessee, New York, California recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 11 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Wright
The name Wright is derived from the Old English word "wryhta," which means "maker" or "worker." It was a common occupational surname given to skilled craftsmen, such as carpenters, woodworkers, and metalworkers. The name has its roots in the Anglo-Saxon culture of England, dating back to the 5th century.
In ancient times, the name Wright was associated with the concept of creation and craftsmanship. It was often used to refer to skilled artisans who were highly valued for their ability to shape raw materials into functional and beautiful objects. This connection to the art of making things by hand gave the name a sense of respect and admiration.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Wright can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landowners and property in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The Domesday Book lists several individuals with the surname Wright, indicating that the name was already well-established at that time.
Throughout history, there have been numerous notable individuals who bore the name Wright. In the realm of aviation, Orville Wright (1871-1948) and his brother Wilbur Wright (1867-1912) are celebrated as the pioneers of powered flight. Their groundbreaking work in designing and building the first successful aircraft paved the way for modern aviation.
Another famous Wright is Frank Lloyd Wright (1867-1959), one of the most influential architects of the 20th century. His innovative designs and organic architectural style have left a lasting impact on the built environment and influenced generations of architects around the world.
In the literary world, Richard Wright (1908-1960) was a renowned African American author whose works, such as "Native Son" and "Black Boy," explored the harsh realities of racial oppression and the struggle for equality in America. His powerful narratives shed light on the experiences of black people and contributed significantly to the Civil Rights Movement.
Steven Wright (born 1955) is a celebrated American comedian and actor known for his deadpan delivery and surreal, philosophical humor. His unique comedic style and innovative approach to stand-up comedy have earned him numerous accolades and a dedicated following.
These are just a few examples of the many notable individuals throughout history who have carried the name Wright, a name that reflects the human capacity for creation, craftsmanship, and innovation.
People
Wright + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Wright as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with W
Other first names starting with W with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Wright: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Wright?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 710 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Wright going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 482,753 US residents.
Is Wright a common name?
We classify Wright as "Very Rare". It ranks above 87.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,615 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Wright most popular?
The single biggest year for Wright was 1915, when 35 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Wright is about 42 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Wright in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 920 people with the name Wright, or 0.30 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #13,211 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Wright in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Wright?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Wright leans strongly male. 791 people counted with this name were male (86.0%), compared with 129 female bearers (14.0%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Wright?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Wright is White at 69.6%. The next largest groups are Black (23.3%) and Hispanic (2.5%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Wright most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Wright in the 2020 Census, accounting for 69.6% (640 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Wright in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Wright a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Wright in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Wright still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Wright in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Wright can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many people are named Wright?
Find out how many Americans are named Wright on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.