Sela Ward
There are approximately 1 people named Sela Ward living in the United States today. That makes this name combination very rare, occurring at a rate of about 1 in 342,754,338 Americans.
This estimate combines SSA birth records for the first name Sela with Census Bureau frequency data for the surname Ward. Below you will find a breakdown of both names, including popularity trends, gender data, and Census demographics where available.
Expected bearers
1
1 in 342,754,338
Named Sela
1.3K
Alive today
Named Ward
293K
Alive today
US population
343M
Denominator
Estimated living: 1.3K
Rarity: Rare
Gender: Female
Peak year: 2000
Average age: 20
Top Census group: White (47.6%)
Estimated bearers: 293K
Rarity: Common
Census rank: #79
Per 100K: 85.57
Top ancestry: White (72.5%)
First name trend
Sela: popularity over time
Year-by-year SSA birth registrations for the first name Sela. The peak year was 2000 with 81 births. The average person named Sela today is 20 years old.
Babies born per year
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sela
Self-reported race and ethnicity breakdown for people with the first name Sela, from the 2020 US Census Bureau first-name tables. The largest published group is White at 47.6%.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Sela 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 Sela at the time of the Census. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity.
- White47.6% · 692
- Asian and Pacific Islander22.7% · 330
- Hispanic or Latino12.7% · 185
- Black or African American8.2% · 119
- Two or more races8.1% · 117
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 10
Ethnicity
Ancestry of the Ward surname
Self-reported race and ethnicity breakdown for people with the surname Ward, from the 2020 US Census Bureau. The largest group is White at 72.5%.
The bar chart below shows how people with the surname Ward 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 Ward at the time of the Census. A surname does not determine a person's race or ethnicity.
- White72.5% · 185,452
- Black or African American18.1% · 46,419
- Two or more races4.4% · 11,289
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 8,848
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 2,127
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 1,632
Methodology
How we calculated this
The first name Sela has a living-bearer frequency of 0.0004% of the US population, based on 1,273 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 Sela right now.
The surname Ward appears at a rate of 85.57 per 100,000 residents in the 2020 Census Bureau surname file, which translates to a frequency of 0.0856%.
Multiplying these two independent frequencies against the current US population of 342,754,338 gives an expected count of approximately 1 people with the full name Sela Ward. This assumes statistical independence between first and last names, which is a simplification but produces reasonable estimates for most combinations.
Related
Other people with the surname Ward
FAQ
Sela Ward: questions and answers
How many people are named Sela Ward?
We estimate approximately 1 people in the United States share the full name Sela Ward. That works out to about 1 in 342,754,338 Americans. This is calculated by combining the first-name frequency (0.0004%) with the surname frequency (85.57 per 100K) against the current US population.
How rare is the name Sela Ward?
We classify Sela Ward as "Very Rare". About 1 in 342,754,338 Americans share this exact first and last name combination.
Is Sela a male or female name?
Sela is predominantly female. Out of 1,299 total SSA registrations, 0.0% were male and 100.0% were female. See the full Sela 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 Americans are named Sela Ward?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.