Denise Nicholas
There are approximately 25 people named Denise Nicholas living in the United States today. That makes this name combination very rare, occurring at a rate of about 1 in 13,710,174 Americans.
This estimate combines SSA birth records for the first name Denise with Census Bureau frequency data for the surname Nicholas. Below you will find a breakdown of both names, including popularity trends, gender data, and Census demographics where available.
Expected bearers
25
1 in 13,710,174
Named Denise
299K
Alive today
Named Nicholas
29K
Alive today
US population
343M
Denominator
Estimated living: 299K
Rarity: Common
Gender: Female
Peak year: 1961
Average age: 58
Top Census group: White (69.8%)
Estimated bearers: 29K
Rarity: Uncommon
Census rank: #1,378
Per 100K: 8.44
Top ancestry: White (68.8%)
First name trend
Denise: popularity over time
Year-by-year SSA birth registrations for the first name Denise. The peak year was 1961 with 15,424 births. The average person named Denise today is 58 years old.
Babies born per year
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Denise
Self-reported race and ethnicity breakdown for people with the first name Denise, from the 2020 US Census Bureau first-name tables. The largest published group is White at 69.8%.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Denise 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 Denise at the time of the Census. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity.
- White69.8% · 228,713
- Black or African American14.0% · 45,954
- Hispanic or Latino11.9% · 39,088
- Two or more races2.3% · 7,630
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.3% · 4,422
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 2,022
Ethnicity
Ancestry of the Nicholas surname
Self-reported race and ethnicity breakdown for people with the surname Nicholas, from the 2020 US Census Bureau. The largest group is White at 68.8%.
The bar chart below shows how people with the surname Nicholas 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 Nicholas at the time of the Census. A surname does not determine a person's race or ethnicity.
- White68.8% · 17,351
- Black or African American18.7% · 4,719
- Hispanic or Latino5.2% · 1,312
- Two or more races4.4% · 1,104
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.6% · 411
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.3% · 338
Methodology
How we calculated this
The first name Denise has a living-bearer frequency of 0.0874% of the US population, based on 299,411 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 Denise right now.
The surname Nicholas appears at a rate of 8.44 per 100,000 residents in the 2020 Census Bureau surname file, which translates to a frequency of 0.0084%.
Multiplying these two independent frequencies against the current US population of 342,754,338 gives an expected count of approximately 25 people with the full name Denise Nicholas. This assumes statistical independence between first and last names, which is a simplification but produces reasonable estimates for most combinations.
Related
Other people named Denise
FAQ
Denise Nicholas: questions and answers
How many people are named Denise Nicholas?
We estimate approximately 25 people in the United States share the full name Denise Nicholas. That works out to about 1 in 13,710,174 Americans. This is calculated by combining the first-name frequency (0.0874%) with the surname frequency (8.44 per 100K) against the current US population.
How rare is the name Denise Nicholas?
We classify Denise Nicholas as "Very Rare". About 1 in 13,710,174 Americans share this exact first and last name combination.
Is Denise a male or female name?
Denise is predominantly female. Out of 374,664 total SSA registrations, 0.4% were male and 99.6% were female. See the full Denise 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 Americans are named Denise Nicholas?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.