James Forbes
There are approximately 351 people named James Forbes living in the United States today. That makes this name combination very rare, occurring at a rate of about 1 in 976,508 Americans.
This estimate combines SSA birth records for the first name James with Census Bureau frequency data for the surname Forbes. Below you will find a breakdown of both names, including popularity trends, gender data, and Census demographics where available.
Expected bearers
351
1 in 976,508
Named James
3.1M
Alive today
Named Forbes
38K
Alive today
US population
343M
Denominator
Estimated living: 3.1M
Rarity: Very Common
Gender: Male
Peak year: 1947
Average age: 57
Top Census group: White (82.0%)
Estimated bearers: 38K
Rarity: Uncommon
Census rank: #1,032
Per 100K: 11.18
Top ancestry: White (66.5%)
First name trend
James: popularity over time
Year-by-year SSA birth registrations for the first name James. The peak year was 1947 with 95,020 births. The average person named James today is 57 years old.
Babies born per year
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for James
Self-reported race and ethnicity breakdown for people with the first name James, from the 2020 US Census Bureau first-name tables. The largest published group is White at 82.0%.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name James 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 James at the time of the Census. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity.
- White82.0% · 2,457,719
- Black or African American9.7% · 289,173
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 103,234
- Two or more races2.8% · 84,626
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.5% · 44,337
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 17,331
Ethnicity
Ancestry of the Forbes surname
Self-reported race and ethnicity breakdown for people with the surname Forbes, from the 2020 US Census Bureau. The largest group is White at 66.5%.
The bar chart below shows how people with the surname Forbes 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 Forbes at the time of the Census. A surname does not determine a person's race or ethnicity.
- White66.5% · 22,211
- Black or African American23.0% · 7,685
- Hispanic or Latino4.8% · 1,588
- Two or more races4.2% · 1,419
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 358
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 163
Methodology
How we calculated this
The first name James has a living-bearer frequency of 0.9168% of the US population, based on 3,142,267 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 James right now.
The surname Forbes appears at a rate of 11.18 per 100,000 residents in the 2020 Census Bureau surname file, which translates to a frequency of 0.0112%.
Multiplying these two independent frequencies against the current US population of 342,754,338 gives an expected count of approximately 351 people with the full name James Forbes. This assumes statistical independence between first and last names, which is a simplification but produces reasonable estimates for most combinations.
Related
Other people named James
Related
Other people with the surname Forbes
FAQ
James Forbes: questions and answers
How many people are named James Forbes?
We estimate approximately 351 people in the United States share the full name James Forbes. That works out to about 1 in 976,508 Americans. This is calculated by combining the first-name frequency (0.9168%) with the surname frequency (11.18 per 100K) against the current US population.
How rare is the name James Forbes?
We classify James Forbes as "Very Rare". About 1 in 976,508 Americans share this exact first and last name combination.
Is James a male or female name?
James is predominantly male. Out of 5,262,396 total SSA registrations, 99.5% were male and 0.5% were female. See the full James 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 Americans are named James Forbes?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.