Fred Thompson
There are approximately 252 people named Fred Thompson living in the United States today. That makes this name combination very rare, occurring at a rate of about 1 in 1,360,136 Americans.
This estimate combines SSA birth records for the first name Fred with Census Bureau frequency data for the surname Thompson. Below you will find a breakdown of both names, including popularity trends, gender data, and ancestry information.
Expected bearers
252
1 in 1,360,136
Named Fred
112K
Alive today
Named Thompson
772K
Alive today
US population
343M
Denominator
Estimated living: 112K
Rarity: Common
Gender: Male
Peak year: 1924
Average age: 70
Estimated bearers: 772K
Rarity: Very Common
Census rank: #23
Per 100K: 225.32
Top ancestry: White (69.8%)
First name trend
Fred: popularity over time
Year-by-year SSA birth registrations for the first name Fred. The peak year was 1924 with 6,566 births. The average person named Fred today is 70 years old.
Babies born per year
Ethnicity
Ancestry of the Thompson surname
Self-reported race and ethnicity breakdown for people with the surname Thompson, from the 2010 US Census Bureau. The largest group is White at 69.8%.
- White69.8%
- Black or African American23.6%
- Hispanic or Latino2.5%
- Two or more races2.4%
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.2%
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6%
Methodology
How we calculated this
The first name Fred has a living-bearer frequency of 0.0327% of the US population, based on 111,984 estimated living Americans carrying this first name (from SSA birth records going back to 1880, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables).
The surname Thompson appears at a rate of 225.32 per 100,000 residents in the 2010 Census Bureau surname file, which translates to a frequency of 0.2253%.
Multiplying these two independent frequencies against the current US population of 342,754,338 gives an expected count of approximately 252 people with the full name Fred Thompson. This assumes statistical independence between first and last names, which is a simplification but produces reasonable estimates for most combinations.
Related
Other people named Fred
Related
Other people with the surname Thompson
FAQ
Fred Thompson: questions and answers
How many people are named Fred Thompson?
We estimate approximately 252 people in the United States share the full name Fred Thompson. That works out to about 1 in 1,360,136 Americans. This is calculated by combining the first-name frequency (0.0327%) with the surname frequency (225.32 per 100K) against the current US population.
How rare is the name Fred Thompson?
We classify Fred Thompson as "Very Rare". About 1 in 1,360,136 Americans share this exact first and last name combination.
Is Fred a male or female name?
Fred is predominantly male. Out of 345,605 total SSA registrations, 99.4% were male and 0.6% were female. See the full Fred 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 2010 US Census Bureau decennial surname tables. Living-bearer estimates use CDC actuarial life tables to adjust for mortality. Read the full methodology.