Karl Malden
There are approximately 1 people named Karl Malden 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 Karl with Census Bureau frequency data for the surname Malden. 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 Karl
70K
Alive today
Named Malden
413
Alive today
US population
343M
Denominator
Estimated living: 70K
Rarity: Uncommon
Gender: Male
Peak year: 1960
Average age: 56
Top Census group: White (80.7%)
Estimated bearers: 413
Rarity: Very Rare
Census rank: #60,433
Per 100K: 0.12
Top ancestry: Black (44.7%)
First name trend
Karl: popularity over time
Year-by-year SSA birth registrations for the first name Karl. The peak year was 1960 with 2,614 births. The average person named Karl today is 56 years old.
Babies born per year
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Karl
Self-reported race and ethnicity breakdown for people with the first name Karl, from the 2020 US Census Bureau first-name tables. The largest published group is White at 80.7%.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Karl 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 Karl at the time of the Census. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity.
- White80.7% · 59,366
- Black or African American10.6% · 7,768
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 2,264
- Two or more races2.6% · 1,913
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.5% · 1,870
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 342
Ethnicity
Ancestry of the Malden surname
Self-reported race and ethnicity breakdown for people with the surname Malden, from the 2020 US Census Bureau. The largest group is Black at 44.7%.
The bar chart below shows how people with the surname Malden 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 Malden at the time of the Census. A surname does not determine a person's race or ethnicity.
- Black or African American44.7% · 161
- White42.5% · 153
- Two or more races6.1% · 22
- Hispanic or Latino5.6% · 20
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 2
Methodology
How we calculated this
The first name Karl has a living-bearer frequency of 0.0204% of the US population, based on 69,799 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 Karl right now.
The surname Malden appears at a rate of 0.12 per 100,000 residents in the 2020 Census Bureau surname file, which translates to a frequency of 0.0001%.
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 Karl Malden. This assumes statistical independence between first and last names, which is a simplification but produces reasonable estimates for most combinations.
Related
Other people named Karl
FAQ
Karl Malden: questions and answers
How many people are named Karl Malden?
We estimate approximately 1 people in the United States share the full name Karl Malden. That works out to about 1 in 342,754,338 Americans. This is calculated by combining the first-name frequency (0.0204%) with the surname frequency (0.12 per 100K) against the current US population.
How rare is the name Karl Malden?
We classify Karl Malden as "Very Rare". About 1 in 342,754,338 Americans share this exact first and last name combination.
Is Karl a male or female name?
Karl is predominantly male. Out of 101,648 total SSA registrations, 99.1% were male and 0.9% were female. See the full Karl 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 Karl Malden?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.