Rarity depends on how many Americans share your name. This calculator uses US Census Bureau and SSA birth records to assign a 0 to 100 rarity score. A score of 0 to 19 means Very Common while 80 to 100 means Very Rare fewer than 500 Americans share that name.

How Rare Is My Name? Free Name Rarity Score Calculator

Q: What is a good rarity score?

Any score above 60 means your name is uncommon or genuinely rare. A score above 80 means fewer than 500 Americans have your name. The average American name scores between 20 and 40.

Q: Why does my name show not found?

The US Social Security Administration does not publish names with fewer than 5 births per year to protect privacy. If your name returns no result it may be extremely rare or a unique spelling variant.

Q: How is the rarity score calculated?

We take the estimated number of living Americans with your name, divide by total US population, and convert to an inverse 0 to 100 scale. The fewer people who share your name the higher the score.

Q: Does spelling affect my rarity score?

Yes significantly. Sofia and Sophia are pronounced identically but tracked separately in SSA records. Sofia scores much rarer despite sounding identical to the far more common Sophia. Always check your exact spelling for an accurate score.

How the Rarity Score Works

The 0 to 100 rarity score is calculated from estimated living Americans who share your name. A score of 0 means millions of Americans have your name. A score of 100 means you may be the only one. The US Census Bureau surname files cover over 162,000 distinct last names. The Social Security Administration birth records track every first name given to US-born citizens since 1880.

First name and last name are scored separately because they follow different patterns. First names follow cultural trends and peak in specific decades James peaked in the 1940s, Liam peaked in the 2010s. Last names follow family lineage and immigration patterns. A very common first name paired with a rare last name can produce a surprisingly rare full name combination.

Spelling has a bigger impact on rarity scores than most people expect. Sofia and Sophia are pronounced identically but tracked separately in SSA records Sofia scores significantly rarer despite sounding like the far more common Sophia. Always enter your exact spelling for the most accurate score.

The 5 Rarity Tiers Explained

Tier	Score	What It Means	Est. Bearers
Very Common	0 to 19	Millions of Americans share this name	500,000+
Common	20 to 39	A well-known name with many bearers	50,000 to 499,999
Uncommon	40 to 59	Notable but not often encountered	5,000 to 49,999
Rare	60 to 79	Few Americans carry this name	500 to 4,999
Very Rare	80 to 100	Fewer than 500 Americans have this name	Under 500

If your name returns no result at all the SSA may have suppressed it they do not publish names with fewer than 5 births per year, meaning your name could be truly unique in America.

What Makes a Name Rare in America?

Name rarity in the US is shaped by immigration waves, cultural trends, and generational shifts. Hebrew and Latin names dominate American records due to centuries of Christian and Roman influence on English naming. Names from outside these traditions are statistically rarer in US Census and SSA records.

The most common full name in the United States is Robert Smith shared by an estimated 34,000 Americans. The most common female full name is Maria Garcia. At the other extreme, single-bearer full names exist throughout the dataset names so rare that only one living American is recorded as having them.

Name rarity also changes over generations. A name that scored Very Common in 1950 may score Uncommon today simply because most of its bearers have passed away and the name fell out of use for new babies. Age distribution is a key part of understanding rarity in context.

Frequently Asked Questions