Ron Howard
There are approximately 25 people named Ron Howard living in the United States today. That makes this name combination very rare, occurring at a rate of about 1 in 13,710,174 Americans.
This estimate combines SSA birth records for the first name Ron with Census Bureau frequency data for the surname Howard. Below you will find a breakdown of both names, including popularity trends, gender data, and Census demographics where available.
Expected bearers
25
1 in 13,710,174
Named Ron
29K
Alive today
Named Howard
291K
Alive today
US population
343M
Denominator
Estimated living: 29K
Rarity: Uncommon
Gender: Male
Peak year: 1960
Average age: 60
Top Census group: White (79.7%)
Estimated bearers: 291K
Rarity: Common
Census rank: #81
Per 100K: 84.79
Top ancestry: White (61.7%)
First name trend
Ron: popularity over time
Year-by-year SSA birth registrations for the first name Ron. The peak year was 1960 with 1,888 births. The average person named Ron today is 60 years old.
Babies born per year
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ron
Self-reported race and ethnicity breakdown for people with the first name Ron, from the 2020 US Census Bureau first-name tables. The largest published group is White at 79.7%.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Ron 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 Ron at the time of the Census. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity.
- White79.7% · 58,980
- Black or African American8.7% · 6,432
- Hispanic or Latino4.5% · 3,297
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.5% · 2,623
- Two or more races2.6% · 1,907
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.1% · 788
Ethnicity
Ancestry of the Howard surname
Self-reported race and ethnicity breakdown for people with the surname Howard, from the 2020 US Census Bureau. The largest group is White at 61.7%.
The bar chart below shows how people with the surname Howard 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 Howard at the time of the Census. A surname does not determine a person's race or ethnicity.
- White61.7% · 156,374
- Black or African American28.8% · 72,998
- Two or more races4.7% · 11,900
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 8,522
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 2,083
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 1,557
Methodology
How we calculated this
The first name Ron has a living-bearer frequency of 0.0085% of the US population, based on 29,099 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 Ron right now.
The surname Howard appears at a rate of 84.79 per 100,000 residents in the 2020 Census Bureau surname file, which translates to a frequency of 0.0848%.
Multiplying these two independent frequencies against the current US population of 342,754,338 gives an expected count of approximately 25 people with the full name Ron Howard. This assumes statistical independence between first and last names, which is a simplification but produces reasonable estimates for most combinations.
Related
Other people named Ron
Related
Other people with the surname Howard
FAQ
Ron Howard: questions and answers
How many people are named Ron Howard?
We estimate approximately 25 people in the United States share the full name Ron Howard. That works out to about 1 in 13,710,174 Americans. This is calculated by combining the first-name frequency (0.0085%) with the surname frequency (84.79 per 100K) against the current US population.
How rare is the name Ron Howard?
We classify Ron Howard as "Very Rare". About 1 in 13,710,174 Americans share this exact first and last name combination.
Is Ron a male or female name?
Ron is predominantly male. Out of 36,411 total SSA registrations, 99.8% were male and 0.2% were female. See the full Ron 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 Ron Howard?
You can see how many people are called Ron Howard on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.