Larry Niven
There are approximately 2 people named Larry Niven living in the United States today. That makes this name combination very rare, occurring at a rate of about 1 in 171,377,169 Americans.
This estimate combines SSA birth records for the first name Larry with Census Bureau frequency data for the surname Niven. Below you will find a breakdown of both names, including popularity trends, gender data, and Census demographics where available.
Expected bearers
2
1 in 171,377,169
Named Larry
547K
Alive today
Named Niven
1.4K
Alive today
US population
343M
Denominator
Estimated living: 547K
Rarity: Very Common
Gender: Male
Peak year: 1947
Average age: 67
Top Census group: White (77.0%)
Estimated bearers: 1.4K
Rarity: Rare
Census rank: #21,399
Per 100K: 0.42
Top ancestry: White (91.6%)
First name trend
Larry: popularity over time
Year-by-year SSA birth registrations for the first name Larry. The peak year was 1947 with 35,026 births. The average person named Larry today is 67 years old.
Babies born per year
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Larry
Self-reported race and ethnicity breakdown for people with the first name Larry, from the 2020 US Census Bureau first-name tables. The largest published group is White at 77.0%.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Larry 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 Larry at the time of the Census. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity.
- White77.0% · 394,454
- Black or African American15.6% · 79,799
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 17,027
- Two or more races2.3% · 11,546
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 5,448
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 4,179
Ethnicity
Ancestry of the Niven surname
Self-reported race and ethnicity breakdown for people with the surname Niven, from the 2020 US Census Bureau. The largest group is White at 91.6%.
The bar chart below shows how people with the surname Niven 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 Niven at the time of the Census. A surname does not determine a person's race or ethnicity.
- White91.6% · 1,141
- Two or more races2.6% · 32
- Hispanic or Latino2.3% · 29
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.2% · 28
- Black or African American1.0% · 13
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 2
Methodology
How we calculated this
The first name Larry has a living-bearer frequency of 0.1597% of the US population, based on 547,387 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 Larry right now.
The surname Niven appears at a rate of 0.42 per 100,000 residents in the 2020 Census Bureau surname file, which translates to a frequency of 0.0004%.
Multiplying these two independent frequencies against the current US population of 342,754,338 gives an expected count of approximately 2 people with the full name Larry Niven. This assumes statistical independence between first and last names, which is a simplification but produces reasonable estimates for most combinations.
Related
Other people named Larry
Related
Other people with the surname Niven
FAQ
Larry Niven: questions and answers
How many people are named Larry Niven?
We estimate approximately 2 people in the United States share the full name Larry Niven. That works out to about 1 in 171,377,169 Americans. This is calculated by combining the first-name frequency (0.1597%) with the surname frequency (0.42 per 100K) against the current US population.
How rare is the name Larry Niven?
We classify Larry Niven as "Very Rare". About 1 in 171,377,169 Americans share this exact first and last name combination.
Is Larry a male or female name?
Larry is predominantly male. Out of 810,934 total SSA registrations, 99.6% were male and 0.4% were female. See the full Larry 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 Larry Niven?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people are called Larry Niven at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.