Ken Lawson
There are approximately 10 people named Ken Lawson living in the United States today. That makes this name combination very rare, occurring at a rate of about 1 in 34,275,434 Americans.
This estimate combines SSA birth records for the first name Ken with Census Bureau frequency data for the surname Lawson. Below you will find a breakdown of both names, including popularity trends, gender data, and Census demographics where available.
Expected bearers
10
1 in 34,275,434
Named Ken
25K
Alive today
Named Lawson
131K
Alive today
US population
343M
Denominator
Estimated living: 25K
Rarity: Uncommon
Gender: Male
Peak year: 1960
Average age: 59
Top Census group: White (74.3%)
Estimated bearers: 131K
Rarity: Common
Census rank: #267
Per 100K: 38.31
Top ancestry: White (70.8%)
First name trend
Ken: popularity over time
Year-by-year SSA birth registrations for the first name Ken. The peak year was 1960 with 1,776 births. The average person named Ken today is 59 years old.
Babies born per year
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ken
Self-reported race and ethnicity breakdown for people with the first name Ken, from the 2020 US Census Bureau first-name tables. The largest published group is White at 74.3%.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Ken 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 Ken at the time of the Census. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity.
- White74.3% · 51,727
- Asian and Pacific Islander12.3% · 8,590
- Black or African American6.5% · 4,490
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 2,196
- Two or more races3.1% · 2,141
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 436
Ethnicity
Ancestry of the Lawson surname
Self-reported race and ethnicity breakdown for people with the surname Lawson, from the 2020 US Census Bureau. The largest group is White at 70.8%.
The bar chart below shows how people with the surname Lawson 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 Lawson at the time of the Census. A surname does not determine a person's race or ethnicity.
- White70.8% · 81,026
- Black or African American20.4% · 23,402
- Two or more races4.5% · 5,150
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 3,621
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 668
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 655
Methodology
How we calculated this
The first name Ken has a living-bearer frequency of 0.0074% of the US population, based on 25,303 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 Ken right now.
The surname Lawson appears at a rate of 38.31 per 100,000 residents in the 2020 Census Bureau surname file, which translates to a frequency of 0.0383%.
Multiplying these two independent frequencies against the current US population of 342,754,338 gives an expected count of approximately 10 people with the full name Ken Lawson. This assumes statistical independence between first and last names, which is a simplification but produces reasonable estimates for most combinations.
Related
Other people named Ken
Related
Other people with the surname Lawson
FAQ
Ken Lawson: questions and answers
How many people are named Ken Lawson?
We estimate approximately 10 people in the United States share the full name Ken Lawson. That works out to about 1 in 34,275,434 Americans. This is calculated by combining the first-name frequency (0.0074%) with the surname frequency (38.31 per 100K) against the current US population.
How rare is the name Ken Lawson?
We classify Ken Lawson as "Very Rare". About 1 in 34,275,434 Americans share this exact first and last name combination.
Is Ken a male or female name?
Ken is predominantly male. Out of 33,004 total SSA registrations, 99.9% were male and 0.1% were female. See the full Ken 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 Ken Lawson?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people are called Ken Lawson at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.