Chris Penn
There are approximately 9 people named Chris Penn living in the United States today. That makes this name combination very rare, occurring at a rate of about 1 in 38,083,815 Americans.
This estimate combines SSA birth records for the first name Chris with Census Bureau frequency data for the surname Penn. Below you will find a breakdown of both names, including popularity trends, gender data, and Census demographics where available.
Expected bearers
9
1 in 38,083,815
Named Chris
139K
Alive today
Named Penn
22K
Alive today
US population
343M
Denominator
Estimated living: 139K
Rarity: Common
Gender: Unisex
Peak year: 1961
Average age: 55
Top Census group: White (76.0%)
Estimated bearers: 22K
Rarity: Uncommon
Census rank: #1,866
Per 100K: 6.32
Top ancestry: White (48.7%)
First name trend
Chris: popularity over time
Year-by-year SSA birth registrations for the first name Chris. The peak year was 1961 with 8,772 births. The average person named Chris today is 55 years old.
Babies born per year
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Chris
Self-reported race and ethnicity breakdown for people with the first name Chris, from the 2020 US Census Bureau first-name tables. The largest published group is White at 76.0%.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Chris 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 Chris at the time of the Census. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity.
- White76.0% · 278,322
- Hispanic or Latino9.8% · 36,012
- Black or African American7.2% · 26,367
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.4% · 12,549
- Two or more races2.9% · 10,440
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 2,575
Ethnicity
Ancestry of the Penn surname
Self-reported race and ethnicity breakdown for people with the surname Penn, from the 2020 US Census Bureau. The largest group is White at 48.7%.
The bar chart below shows how people with the surname Penn 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 Penn at the time of the Census. A surname does not determine a person's race or ethnicity.
- White48.7% · 9,199
- Black or African American38.2% · 7,212
- Two or more races6.0% · 1,126
- Hispanic or Latino4.2% · 794
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 326
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.2% · 222
Methodology
How we calculated this
The first name Chris has a living-bearer frequency of 0.0407% of the US population, based on 139,464 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 Chris right now.
The surname Penn appears at a rate of 6.32 per 100,000 residents in the 2020 Census Bureau surname file, which translates to a frequency of 0.0063%.
Multiplying these two independent frequencies against the current US population of 342,754,338 gives an expected count of approximately 9 people with the full name Chris Penn. This assumes statistical independence between first and last names, which is a simplification but produces reasonable estimates for most combinations.
Related
Other people named Chris
Related
Other people with the surname Penn
FAQ
Chris Penn: questions and answers
How many people are named Chris Penn?
We estimate approximately 9 people in the United States share the full name Chris Penn. That works out to about 1 in 38,083,815 Americans. This is calculated by combining the first-name frequency (0.0407%) with the surname frequency (6.32 per 100K) against the current US population.
How rare is the name Chris Penn?
We classify Chris Penn as "Very Rare". About 1 in 38,083,815 Americans share this exact first and last name combination.
Is Chris a male or female name?
Chris is predominantly unisex. Out of 169,995 total SSA registrations, 86.5% were male and 13.5% were female. See the full Chris 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 common is the name Chris Penn?
For a quick modern take, check how many people are called Chris Penn on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.