Helena Carter
There are approximately 31 people named Helena Carter living in the United States today. That makes this name combination very rare, occurring at a rate of about 1 in 11,056,592 Americans.
This estimate combines SSA birth records for the first name Helena with Census Bureau frequency data for the surname Carter. Below you will find a breakdown of both names, including popularity trends, gender data, and Census demographics where available.
Expected bearers
31
1 in 11,056,592
Named Helena
25K
Alive today
Named Carter
418K
Alive today
US population
343M
Denominator
Estimated living: 25K
Rarity: Uncommon
Gender: Female
Peak year: 2024
Average age: 31
Top Census group: White (60.3%)
Estimated bearers: 418K
Rarity: Common
Census rank: #50
Per 100K: 121.90
Top ancestry: White (55.7%)
First name trend
Helena: popularity over time
Year-by-year SSA birth registrations for the first name Helena. The peak year was 2024 with 754 births. The average person named Helena today is 31 years old.
Babies born per year
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Helena
Self-reported race and ethnicity breakdown for people with the first name Helena, from the 2020 US Census Bureau first-name tables. The largest published group is White at 60.3%.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Helena 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 Helena at the time of the Census. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity.
- White60.3% · 19,051
- Hispanic or Latino15.2% · 4,806
- Black or African American12.0% · 3,809
- Asian and Pacific Islander7.2% · 2,265
- Two or more races4.1% · 1,302
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.2% · 384
Ethnicity
Ancestry of the Carter surname
Self-reported race and ethnicity breakdown for people with the surname Carter, from the 2020 US Census Bureau. The largest group is White at 55.7%.
The bar chart below shows how people with the surname Carter 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 Carter at the time of the Census. A surname does not determine a person's race or ethnicity.
- White55.7% · 203,042
- Black or African American34.5% · 125,680
- Two or more races5.1% · 18,436
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 12,385
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 2,670
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 2,142
Methodology
How we calculated this
The first name Helena has a living-bearer frequency of 0.0074% of the US population, based on 25,427 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 Helena right now.
The surname Carter appears at a rate of 121.90 per 100,000 residents in the 2020 Census Bureau surname file, which translates to a frequency of 0.1219%.
Multiplying these two independent frequencies against the current US population of 342,754,338 gives an expected count of approximately 31 people with the full name Helena Carter. This assumes statistical independence between first and last names, which is a simplification but produces reasonable estimates for most combinations.
Related
Other people named Helena
Related
Other people with the surname Carter
FAQ
Helena Carter: questions and answers
How many people are named Helena Carter?
We estimate approximately 31 people in the United States share the full name Helena Carter. That works out to about 1 in 11,056,592 Americans. This is calculated by combining the first-name frequency (0.0074%) with the surname frequency (121.90 per 100K) against the current US population.
How rare is the name Helena Carter?
We classify Helena Carter as "Very Rare". About 1 in 11,056,592 Americans share this exact first and last name combination.
Is Helena a male or female name?
Helena is predominantly female. Out of 39,561 total SSA registrations, 0.0% were male and 100.0% were female. See the full Helena 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 named Helena Carter?
For a quick modern take, check how many people are called Helena Carter on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.