Name Age Distribution
Based on SSA birth records adjusted for US actuarial survival rates. Shows estimated living holders by age group today.
What the Age Distribution Actually Shows
This tool is different from a birth chart. A birth chart shows how many babies were given a name each year. This tool shows how many living Americans have that name right now, grouped by age. The difference matters. To produce a living age distribution, you need SSA birth records combined with US actuarial life tables, which estimate how many people born in a given year are still alive today. A name that had 50,000 births in 1945 does not have 50,000 living bearers in their 80s today most of those people have died. The tool accounts for survival rates to show you the current age profile, not just historical births.
The Five Name Age Labels Explained
| Label | Median Age | What It Means |
|---|---|---|
| Young Name | Under 15 | Most holders are children. The name surged in the last decade. |
| Modern Name | 15 to 30 | Most holders are teenagers and young adults. Peaked in the 2000s or 2010s. |
| Mature Name | 31 to 50 | Most holders are working-age adults. Peaked in the 1980s to 2000s. |
| Classic Name | 51 to 65 | Most holders are older adults. Peaked mid-20th century but never disappeared. |
| Vintage Name | Over 65 | Most holders are seniors. Associated with an earlier era. |
Names With Two Age Peaks
Some names have unusual distributions. Violet, for example, was popular in the early 1900s, fell sharply, and has surged again in the last decade. This creates two peaks a large group of elderly Violets and a large group of very young Violets, with relatively few in the middle. Lola, Stella, and Clara show similar bimodal patterns. When a name shows this pattern in the chart, the median age can be misleading. A median of 47 for Violet does not mean most Violets are middle-aged it means the two groups average out to that number. The full decade chart shows the real picture.
What Age Distribution Tells a Parent
A name's age distribution tells you more than its current rank. Joseph has been one of the most enduring American names and its median age reflects a wide, flat spread across all age groups knowing someone is named Joseph tells you very little about how old they are. By contrast, a name like Brittany has a very tight distribution clustered in one age range, making the name feel dated to a specific era. Parents choosing a name can use this tool to check whether a name feels fresh, timeless, or tied to a particular generation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Conclusion
Knowing whether your name skews young, mature, or vintage changes how it reads to the people you meet. Type your name above to see the full age breakdown, then check the total count at howmanyofmes.com.