Harlan Ellison
There are approximately 2 people named Harlan Ellison living in the United States today. That makes this name combination very rare, occurring at a rate of about 1 in 171,377,169 Americans.
This estimate combines SSA birth records for the first name Harlan with Census Bureau frequency data for the surname Ellison. Below you will find a breakdown of both names, including popularity trends, gender data, and ancestry information.
Expected bearers
2
1 in 171,377,169
Named Harlan
14K
Alive today
Named Ellison
50K
Alive today
US population
343M
Denominator
Estimated living: 14K
Rarity: Uncommon
Gender: Male
Peak year: 1924
Average age: 44
Estimated bearers: 50K
Rarity: Uncommon
Census rank: #809
Per 100K: 14.52
Top ancestry: White (65.8%)
First name trend
Harlan: popularity over time
Year-by-year SSA birth registrations for the first name Harlan. The peak year was 1924 with 519 births. The average person named Harlan today is 44 years old.
Babies born per year
Ethnicity
Ancestry of the Ellison surname
Self-reported race and ethnicity breakdown for people with the surname Ellison, from the 2010 US Census Bureau. The largest group is White at 65.8%.
- White65.8%
- Black or African American28.3%
- Hispanic or Latino2.4%
- Two or more races2.3%
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6%
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6%
Methodology
How we calculated this
The first name Harlan has a living-bearer frequency of 0.0041% of the US population, based on 14,169 estimated living Americans carrying this first name (from SSA birth records going back to 1880, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables).
The surname Ellison appears at a rate of 14.52 per 100,000 residents in the 2010 Census Bureau surname file, which translates to a frequency of 0.0145%.
Multiplying these two independent frequencies against the current US population of 342,754,338 gives an expected count of approximately 2 people with the full name Harlan Ellison. This assumes statistical independence between first and last names, which is a simplification but produces reasonable estimates for most combinations.
Related
Other people with the surname Ellison
FAQ
Harlan Ellison: questions and answers
How many people are named Harlan Ellison?
We estimate approximately 2 people in the United States share the full name Harlan Ellison. That works out to about 1 in 171,377,169 Americans. This is calculated by combining the first-name frequency (0.0041%) with the surname frequency (14.52 per 100K) against the current US population.
How rare is the name Harlan Ellison?
We classify Harlan Ellison as "Very Rare". About 1 in 171,377,169 Americans share this exact first and last name combination.
Is Harlan a male or female name?
Harlan is predominantly male. Out of 26,489 total SSA registrations, 98.3% were male and 1.7% were female. See the full Harlan 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.