Herschel Walker
There are approximately 6 people named Herschel Walker living in the United States today. That makes this name combination very rare, occurring at a rate of about 1 in 57,125,723 Americans.
This estimate combines SSA birth records for the first name Herschel with Census Bureau frequency data for the surname Walker. Below you will find a breakdown of both names, including popularity trends, gender data, and Census demographics where available.
Expected bearers
6
1 in 57,125,723
Named Herschel
3.8K
Alive today
Named Walker
579K
Alive today
US population
343M
Denominator
Estimated living: 3.8K
Rarity: Rare
Gender: Male
Peak year: 1921
Average age: 59
Top Census group: White (73.8%)
Estimated bearers: 579K
Rarity: Very Common
Census rank: #32
Per 100K: 168.90
Top ancestry: White (56.3%)
First name trend
Herschel: popularity over time
Year-by-year SSA birth registrations for the first name Herschel. The peak year was 1921 with 277 births. The average person named Herschel today is 59 years old.
Babies born per year
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Herschel
Self-reported race and ethnicity breakdown for people with the first name Herschel, from the 2020 US Census Bureau first-name tables. The largest published group is White at 73.8%.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Herschel 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 Herschel at the time of the Census. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity.
- White73.8% · 2,750
- Black or African American18.5% · 690
- Two or more races2.8% · 105
- Hispanic or Latino1.8% · 67
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.7% · 62
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.4% · 52
Ethnicity
Ancestry of the Walker surname
Self-reported race and ethnicity breakdown for people with the surname Walker, from the 2020 US Census Bureau. The largest group is White at 56.3%.
The bar chart below shows how people with the surname Walker 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 Walker at the time of the Census. A surname does not determine a person's race or ethnicity.
- White56.3% · 284,371
- Black or African American34.0% · 171,459
- Two or more races4.9% · 24,592
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 17,315
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 4,108
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 2,988
Methodology
How we calculated this
The first name Herschel has a living-bearer frequency of 0.0011% of the US population, based on 3,825 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 Herschel right now.
The surname Walker appears at a rate of 168.90 per 100,000 residents in the 2020 Census Bureau surname file, which translates to a frequency of 0.1689%.
Multiplying these two independent frequencies against the current US population of 342,754,338 gives an expected count of approximately 6 people with the full name Herschel Walker. This assumes statistical independence between first and last names, which is a simplification but produces reasonable estimates for most combinations.
Related
Other people named Herschel
Related
Other people with the surname Walker
FAQ
Herschel Walker: questions and answers
How many people are named Herschel Walker?
We estimate approximately 6 people in the United States share the full name Herschel Walker. That works out to about 1 in 57,125,723 Americans. This is calculated by combining the first-name frequency (0.0011%) with the surname frequency (168.90 per 100K) against the current US population.
How rare is the name Herschel Walker?
We classify Herschel Walker as "Very Rare". About 1 in 57,125,723 Americans share this exact first and last name combination.
Is Herschel a male or female name?
Herschel is predominantly male. Out of 10,640 total SSA registrations, 100.0% were male and 0.0% were female. See the full Herschel 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 Herschel Walker?
Find out how many people are called Herschel Walker on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.