Katherine Li
There are approximately 253 people named Katherine Li living in the United States today. That makes this name combination very rare, occurring at a rate of about 1 in 1,354,760 Americans.
This estimate combines SSA birth records for the first name Katherine with Census Bureau frequency data for the surname Li. Below you will find a breakdown of both names, including popularity trends, gender data, and Census demographics where available.
Expected bearers
253
1 in 1,354,760
Named Katherine
457K
Alive today
Named Li
190K
Alive today
US population
343M
Denominator
Estimated living: 457K
Rarity: Common
Gender: Female
Peak year: 1990
Average age: 42
Top Census group: White (79.2%)
Estimated bearers: 190K
Rarity: Common
Census rank: #154
Per 100K: 55.47
Top ancestry: Asian/Pacific Islander (96.0%)
First name trend
Katherine: popularity over time
Year-by-year SSA birth registrations for the first name Katherine. The peak year was 1990 with 11,659 births. The average person named Katherine today is 42 years old.
Babies born per year
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Katherine
Self-reported race and ethnicity breakdown for people with the first name Katherine, from the 2020 US Census Bureau first-name tables. The largest published group is White at 79.2%.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Katherine 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 Katherine at the time of the Census. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity.
- White79.2% · 372,743
- Hispanic or Latino11.3% · 53,309
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.1% · 14,743
- Black or African American3.0% · 14,295
- Two or more races2.9% · 13,541
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 1,948
Ethnicity
Ancestry of the Li surname
Self-reported race and ethnicity breakdown for people with the surname Li, from the 2020 US Census Bureau. The largest group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 96.0%.
The bar chart below shows how people with the surname Li 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 Li at the time of the Census. A surname does not determine a person's race or ethnicity.
- Asian and Pacific Islander96.0% · 159,133
- White2.1% · 3,557
- Two or more races0.9% · 1,441
- Hispanic or Latino0.5% · 879
- Black or African American0.5% · 747
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.0% · 33
Methodology
How we calculated this
The first name Katherine has a living-bearer frequency of 0.1332% of the US population, based on 456,593 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 Katherine right now.
The surname Li appears at a rate of 55.47 per 100,000 residents in the 2020 Census Bureau surname file, which translates to a frequency of 0.0555%.
Multiplying these two independent frequencies against the current US population of 342,754,338 gives an expected count of approximately 253 people with the full name Katherine Li. This assumes statistical independence between first and last names, which is a simplification but produces reasonable estimates for most combinations.
Related
Other people named Katherine
Related
Other people with the surname Li
FAQ
Katherine Li: questions and answers
How many people are named Katherine Li?
We estimate approximately 253 people in the United States share the full name Katherine Li. That works out to about 1 in 1,354,760 Americans. This is calculated by combining the first-name frequency (0.1332%) with the surname frequency (55.47 per 100K) against the current US population.
How rare is the name Katherine Li?
We classify Katherine Li as "Very Rare". About 1 in 1,354,760 Americans share this exact first and last name combination.
Is Katherine a male or female name?
Katherine is predominantly female. Out of 651,062 total SSA registrations, 0.3% were male and 99.7% were female. See the full Katherine 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 common is the name Katherine Li?
You can see how many people are called Katherine Li on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.