Gale Sayers
There are approximately 1 people named Gale Sayers living in the United States today. That makes this name combination very rare, occurring at a rate of about 1 in 342,754,338 Americans.
This estimate combines SSA birth records for the first name Gale with Census Bureau frequency data for the surname Sayers. Below you will find a breakdown of both names, including popularity trends, gender data, and Census demographics where available.
Expected bearers
1
1 in 342,754,338
Named Gale
18K
Alive today
Named Sayers
8.3K
Alive today
US population
343M
Denominator
Estimated living: 18K
Rarity: Uncommon
Gender: Unisex
Peak year: 1957
Average age: 70
Top Census group: White (81.9%)
Estimated bearers: 8.3K
Rarity: Rare
Census rank: #4,735
Per 100K: 2.43
Top ancestry: White (83.7%)
First name trend
Gale: popularity over time
Year-by-year SSA birth registrations for the first name Gale. The peak year was 1957 with 1,364 births. The average person named Gale today is 70 years old.
Babies born per year
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gale
Self-reported race and ethnicity breakdown for people with the first name Gale, from the 2020 US Census Bureau first-name tables. The largest published group is White at 81.9%.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Gale 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 Gale at the time of the Census. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity.
- White81.9% · 18,397
- Black or African American11.8% · 2,659
- Two or more races2.2% · 501
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 416
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.5% · 336
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 158
Ethnicity
Ancestry of the Sayers surname
Self-reported race and ethnicity breakdown for people with the surname Sayers, from the 2020 US Census Bureau. The largest group is White at 83.7%.
The bar chart below shows how people with the surname Sayers 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 Sayers at the time of the Census. A surname does not determine a person's race or ethnicity.
- White83.7% · 6,068
- Black or African American5.0% · 364
- Two or more races4.1% · 298
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 257
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.7% · 193
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 71
Methodology
How we calculated this
The first name Gale has a living-bearer frequency of 0.0052% of the US population, based on 17,772 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 Gale right now.
The surname Sayers appears at a rate of 2.43 per 100,000 residents in the 2020 Census Bureau surname file, which translates to a frequency of 0.0024%.
Multiplying these two independent frequencies against the current US population of 342,754,338 gives an expected count of approximately 1 people with the full name Gale Sayers. This assumes statistical independence between first and last names, which is a simplification but produces reasonable estimates for most combinations.
Related
Other people named Gale
FAQ
Gale Sayers: questions and answers
How many people are named Gale Sayers?
We estimate approximately 1 people in the United States share the full name Gale Sayers. That works out to about 1 in 342,754,338 Americans. This is calculated by combining the first-name frequency (0.0052%) with the surname frequency (2.43 per 100K) against the current US population.
How rare is the name Gale Sayers?
We classify Gale Sayers as "Very Rare". About 1 in 342,754,338 Americans share this exact first and last name combination.
Is Gale a male or female name?
Gale is predominantly unisex. Out of 32,330 total SSA registrations, 38.4% were male and 61.6% were female. See the full Gale 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 have the full name Gale Sayers?
You can see how many people are called Gale Sayers on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.