Betty Thomas
There are approximately 646 people named Betty Thomas living in the United States today. That makes this name combination very rare, occurring at a rate of about 1 in 530,579 Americans.
This estimate combines SSA birth records for the first name Betty with Census Bureau frequency data for the surname Thomas. Below you will find a breakdown of both names, including popularity trends, gender data, and Census demographics where available.
Expected bearers
646
1 in 530,579
Named Betty
263K
Alive today
Named Thomas
842K
Alive today
US population
343M
Denominator
Estimated living: 263K
Rarity: Common
Gender: Female
Peak year: 1930
Average age: 75
Top Census group: White (77.3%)
Estimated bearers: 842K
Rarity: Very Common
Census rank: #16
Per 100K: 245.68
Top ancestry: White (49.7%)
First name trend
Betty: popularity over time
Year-by-year SSA birth registrations for the first name Betty. The peak year was 1930 with 38,394 births. The average person named Betty today is 75 years old.
Babies born per year
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Betty
Self-reported race and ethnicity breakdown for people with the first name Betty, from the 2020 US Census Bureau first-name tables. The largest published group is White at 77.3%.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Betty 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 Betty at the time of the Census. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity.
- White77.3% · 296,176
- Black or African American14.3% · 54,710
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 14,590
- Two or more races1.9% · 7,300
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.9% · 7,223
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 2,959
Ethnicity
Ancestry of the Thomas surname
Self-reported race and ethnicity breakdown for people with the surname Thomas, from the 2020 US Census Bureau. The largest group is White at 49.7%.
The bar chart below shows how people with the surname Thomas 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 Thomas at the time of the Census. A surname does not determine a person's race or ethnicity.
- White49.7% · 365,101
- Black or African American37.8% · 277,281
- Two or more races4.8% · 34,975
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 26,220
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.2% · 23,380
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 7,388
Methodology
How we calculated this
The first name Betty has a living-bearer frequency of 0.0768% of the US population, based on 263,134 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 Betty right now.
The surname Thomas appears at a rate of 245.68 per 100,000 residents in the 2020 Census Bureau surname file, which translates to a frequency of 0.2457%.
Multiplying these two independent frequencies against the current US population of 342,754,338 gives an expected count of approximately 646 people with the full name Betty Thomas. This assumes statistical independence between first and last names, which is a simplification but produces reasonable estimates for most combinations.
Related
Other people named Betty
Related
Other people with the surname Thomas
FAQ
Betty Thomas: questions and answers
How many people are named Betty Thomas?
We estimate approximately 646 people in the United States share the full name Betty Thomas. That works out to about 1 in 530,579 Americans. This is calculated by combining the first-name frequency (0.0768%) with the surname frequency (245.68 per 100K) against the current US population.
How rare is the name Betty Thomas?
We classify Betty Thomas as "Very Rare". About 1 in 530,579 Americans share this exact first and last name combination.
Is Betty a male or female name?
Betty is predominantly female. Out of 1,004,638 total SSA registrations, 0.4% were male and 99.6% were female. See the full Betty 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 named Betty Thomas?
You can see how many people are called Betty Thomas on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.