Benny Goodman
There are approximately 7 people named Benny Goodman living in the United States today. That makes this name combination very rare, occurring at a rate of about 1 in 48,964,905 Americans.
This estimate combines SSA birth records for the first name Benny with Census Bureau frequency data for the surname Goodman. Below you will find a breakdown of both names, including popularity trends, gender data, and Census demographics where available.
Expected bearers
7
1 in 48,964,905
Named Benny
30K
Alive today
Named Goodman
80K
Alive today
US population
343M
Denominator
Estimated living: 30K
Rarity: Uncommon
Gender: Male
Peak year: 1948
Average age: 58
Top Census group: White (50.1%)
Estimated bearers: 80K
Rarity: Uncommon
Census rank: #469
Per 100K: 23.28
Top ancestry: White (75.7%)
First name trend
Benny: popularity over time
Year-by-year SSA birth registrations for the first name Benny. The peak year was 1948 with 1,074 births. The average person named Benny today is 58 years old.
Babies born per year
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Benny
Self-reported race and ethnicity breakdown for people with the first name Benny, from the 2020 US Census Bureau first-name tables. The largest published group is White at 50.1%.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Benny 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 Benny at the time of the Census. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity.
- White50.1% · 13,105
- Hispanic or Latino22.8% · 5,965
- Black or African American13.2% · 3,443
- Asian and Pacific Islander10.2% · 2,661
- Two or more races2.3% · 600
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.5% · 391
Ethnicity
Ancestry of the Goodman surname
Self-reported race and ethnicity breakdown for people with the surname Goodman, from the 2020 US Census Bureau. The largest group is White at 75.7%.
The bar chart below shows how people with the surname Goodman 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 Goodman at the time of the Census. A surname does not determine a person's race or ethnicity.
- White75.7% · 52,681
- Black or African American15.3% · 10,668
- Two or more races3.8% · 2,644
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 2,371
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 693
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 520
Methodology
How we calculated this
The first name Benny has a living-bearer frequency of 0.0086% of the US population, based on 29,550 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 Benny right now.
The surname Goodman appears at a rate of 23.28 per 100,000 residents in the 2020 Census Bureau surname file, which translates to a frequency of 0.0233%.
Multiplying these two independent frequencies against the current US population of 342,754,338 gives an expected count of approximately 7 people with the full name Benny Goodman. This assumes statistical independence between first and last names, which is a simplification but produces reasonable estimates for most combinations.
Related
Other people named Benny
Related
Other people with the surname Goodman
FAQ
Benny Goodman: questions and answers
How many people are named Benny Goodman?
We estimate approximately 7 people in the United States share the full name Benny Goodman. That works out to about 1 in 48,964,905 Americans. This is calculated by combining the first-name frequency (0.0086%) with the surname frequency (23.28 per 100K) against the current US population.
How rare is the name Benny Goodman?
We classify Benny Goodman as "Very Rare". About 1 in 48,964,905 Americans share this exact first and last name combination.
Is Benny a male or female name?
Benny is predominantly male. Out of 48,814 total SSA registrations, 98.7% were male and 1.3% were female. See the full Benny 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 Benny Goodman?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.