Clarence Downey
There are approximately 8 people named Clarence Downey living in the United States today. That makes this name combination very rare, occurring at a rate of about 1 in 42,844,292 Americans.
This estimate combines SSA birth records for the first name Clarence with Census Bureau frequency data for the surname Downey. Below you will find a breakdown of both names, including popularity trends, gender data, and Census demographics where available.
Expected bearers
8
1 in 42,844,292
Named Clarence
95K
Alive today
Named Downey
29K
Alive today
US population
343M
Denominator
Estimated living: 95K
Rarity: Uncommon
Gender: Male
Peak year: 1921
Average age: 66
Top Census group: White (52.2%)
Estimated bearers: 29K
Rarity: Uncommon
Census rank: #1,362
Per 100K: 8.49
Top ancestry: White (85.5%)
First name trend
Clarence: popularity over time
Year-by-year SSA birth registrations for the first name Clarence. The peak year was 1921 with 7,367 births. The average person named Clarence today is 66 years old.
Babies born per year
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Clarence
Self-reported race and ethnicity breakdown for people with the first name Clarence, from the 2020 US Census Bureau first-name tables. The largest published group is White at 52.2%.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Clarence 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 Clarence at the time of the Census. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity.
- White52.2% · 43,154
- Black or African American40.1% · 33,145
- Two or more races3.0% · 2,485
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.9% · 1,543
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 1,417
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.2% · 974
Ethnicity
Ancestry of the Downey surname
Self-reported race and ethnicity breakdown for people with the surname Downey, from the 2020 US Census Bureau. The largest group is White at 85.5%.
The bar chart below shows how people with the surname Downey 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 Downey at the time of the Census. A surname does not determine a person's race or ethnicity.
- White85.5% · 21,709
- Black or African American6.1% · 1,543
- Two or more races3.4% · 873
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 861
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 205
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 191
Methodology
How we calculated this
The first name Clarence has a living-bearer frequency of 0.0276% of the US population, based on 94,567 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 Clarence right now.
The surname Downey appears at a rate of 8.49 per 100,000 residents in the 2020 Census Bureau surname file, which translates to a frequency of 0.0085%.
Multiplying these two independent frequencies against the current US population of 342,754,338 gives an expected count of approximately 8 people with the full name Clarence Downey. This assumes statistical independence between first and last names, which is a simplification but produces reasonable estimates for most combinations.
Related
Other people named Clarence
Related
Other people with the surname Downey
FAQ
Clarence Downey: questions and answers
How many people are named Clarence Downey?
We estimate approximately 8 people in the United States share the full name Clarence Downey. That works out to about 1 in 42,844,292 Americans. This is calculated by combining the first-name frequency (0.0276%) with the surname frequency (8.49 per 100K) against the current US population.
How rare is the name Clarence Downey?
We classify Clarence Downey as "Very Rare". About 1 in 42,844,292 Americans share this exact first and last name combination.
Is Clarence a male or female name?
Clarence is predominantly male. Out of 305,304 total SSA registrations, 99.4% were male and 0.6% were female. See the full Clarence 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 Clarence Downey?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.