Phoebe Cates
There are approximately 2 people named Phoebe Cates 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 Phoebe with Census Bureau frequency data for the surname Cates. Below you will find a breakdown of both names, including popularity trends, gender data, and ancestry information.
Expected bearers
2
1 in 171,377,169
Named Phoebe
33K
Alive today
Named Cates
21K
Alive today
US population
343M
Denominator
Estimated living: 33K
Rarity: Uncommon
Gender: Female
Peak year: 2024
Average age: 21
Estimated bearers: 21K
Rarity: Uncommon
Census rank: #1,984
Per 100K: 6.17
Top ancestry: White (86.9%)
First name trend
Phoebe: popularity over time
Year-by-year SSA birth registrations for the first name Phoebe. The peak year was 2024 with 1,639 births. The average person named Phoebe today is 21 years old.
Babies born per year
Ethnicity
Ancestry of the Cates surname
Self-reported race and ethnicity breakdown for people with the surname Cates, from the 2010 US Census Bureau. The largest group is White at 86.9%.
- White86.9%
- Black or African American6.9%
- Hispanic or Latino2.7%
- Two or more races1.8%
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0%
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6%
Methodology
How we calculated this
The first name Phoebe has a living-bearer frequency of 0.0097% of the US population, based on 33,273 estimated living Americans carrying this first name (from SSA birth records going back to 1880, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables).
The surname Cates appears at a rate of 6.17 per 100,000 residents in the 2010 Census Bureau surname file, which translates to a frequency of 0.0062%.
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 Phoebe Cates. This assumes statistical independence between first and last names, which is a simplification but produces reasonable estimates for most combinations.
FAQ
Phoebe Cates: questions and answers
How many people are named Phoebe Cates?
We estimate approximately 2 people in the United States share the full name Phoebe Cates. That works out to about 1 in 171,377,169 Americans. This is calculated by combining the first-name frequency (0.0097%) with the surname frequency (6.17 per 100K) against the current US population.
How rare is the name Phoebe Cates?
We classify Phoebe Cates as "Very Rare". About 1 in 171,377,169 Americans share this exact first and last name combination.
Is Phoebe a male or female name?
Phoebe is predominantly female. Out of 41,763 total SSA registrations, 0.0% were male and 100.0% were female. See the full Phoebe 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 2010 US Census Bureau decennial surname tables. Living-bearer estimates use CDC actuarial life tables to adjust for mortality. Read the full methodology.