Rick James
There are approximately 54 people named Rick James living in the United States today. That makes this name combination very rare, occurring at a rate of about 1 in 6,347,303 Americans.
This estimate combines SSA birth records for the first name Rick with Census Bureau frequency data for the surname James. Below you will find a breakdown of both names, including popularity trends, gender data, and Census demographics where available.
Expected bearers
54
1 in 6,347,303
Named Rick
66K
Alive today
Named James
279K
Alive today
US population
343M
Denominator
Estimated living: 66K
Rarity: Uncommon
Gender: Male
Peak year: 1958
Average age: 62
Top Census group: White (82.8%)
Estimated bearers: 279K
Rarity: Common
Census rank: #86
Per 100K: 81.47
Top ancestry: White (48.4%)
First name trend
Rick: popularity over time
Year-by-year SSA birth registrations for the first name Rick. The peak year was 1958 with 5,468 births. The average person named Rick today is 62 years old.
Babies born per year
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rick
Self-reported race and ethnicity breakdown for people with the first name Rick, from the 2020 US Census Bureau first-name tables. The largest published group is White at 82.8%.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Rick 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 Rick at the time of the Census. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity.
- White82.8% · 81,351
- Hispanic or Latino8.1% · 7,964
- Black or African American3.2% · 3,178
- Two or more races2.5% · 2,478
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.5% · 2,469
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 831
Ethnicity
Ancestry of the James surname
Self-reported race and ethnicity breakdown for people with the surname James, from the 2020 US Census Bureau. The largest group is White at 48.4%.
The bar chart below shows how people with the surname James 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 James at the time of the Census. A surname does not determine a person's race or ethnicity.
- White48.4% · 117,882
- Black or African American38.3% · 93,370
- Two or more races4.8% · 11,791
- Hispanic or Latino4.2% · 10,317
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.4% · 5,763
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 4,379
Methodology
How we calculated this
The first name Rick has a living-bearer frequency of 0.0193% of the US population, based on 66,209 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 Rick right now.
The surname James appears at a rate of 81.47 per 100,000 residents in the 2020 Census Bureau surname file, which translates to a frequency of 0.0815%.
Multiplying these two independent frequencies against the current US population of 342,754,338 gives an expected count of approximately 54 people with the full name Rick James. This assumes statistical independence between first and last names, which is a simplification but produces reasonable estimates for most combinations.
Related
Other people named Rick
Related
Other people with the surname James
FAQ
Rick James: questions and answers
How many people are named Rick James?
We estimate approximately 54 people in the United States share the full name Rick James. That works out to about 1 in 6,347,303 Americans. This is calculated by combining the first-name frequency (0.0193%) with the surname frequency (81.47 per 100K) against the current US population.
How rare is the name Rick James?
We classify Rick James as "Very Rare". About 1 in 6,347,303 Americans share this exact first and last name combination.
Is Rick a male or female name?
Rick is predominantly male. Out of 81,927 total SSA registrations, 99.8% were male and 0.2% were female. See the full Rick 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 share the full name Rick James?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.