How Many People Are Named Courage?
An estimated 316 people in the United States have the first name Courage. It is used for both genders, with 80.6% male. The average bearer is 13 years old, and Courage peaked in popularity in 2018 with 25 births that year.
Below you will find a full statistical profile of Courage as a first name in the United States, including gender data, a year-by-year popularity timeline going back to 1880, a decade breakdown, state-by-state birth registrations, and, when available, a 2020 Census snapshot showing who had the name at that point in time. You can also check how many people share the full name Courage paired with any surname.
Estimated Living Americans
316
About 1 in 1,084,666 people in the U.S.
Rarity
Very Rare
Predicted Gender
Male
80.6% confidence
Average Age
13
years old
Peak Year
2018
25 births
Total Registered
319
since 1880
Gender Distribution for Courage
Courage is predominantly male (80.6%), though 62 female births have been registered. It functions as a unisex name for a small percentage of bearers.
Courage as a male name
Ranked #7,313 in 2024
11 male births in 2024
Peak: 2019 (18 births)
Courage as a female name
Ranked #13,809 in 2023
6 female births in 2023
Peak: 2018 (11 births)
Courage in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 390 people with the first name Courage, which placed it at #24,628 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name in 2020. The estimated living count elsewhere on this page is different: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two figures are not expected to match exactly.
Read this section as a snapshot of people who already had the name in 2020. The SSA charts elsewhere on this page are still the better way to see how the name rose, fell, or shifted across generations.
Gender in the 2020 Census
In the 2020 Census, Courage was recorded as predominantly male. Out of 390 people with this name in that snapshot, 69.7% were male and 30.3% were female. That is less heavily male than the long-run SSA birth pattern on this page, which sits at 80.6% male.
Census Count
390
people with this name
Census Rank
#24,628
among Census first names
Frequency Rate
0.13
per 100,000 people
Recorded Race and Hispanic Origin in the 2020 Census
In the 2020 Census, the first name Courage was most commonly recorded among people who identified as Black (59.33%). The next largest recorded groups were White (20.73%) and American Indian and Alaska Native (6.99%).
These percentages describe the people who had the first name Courage in the 2020 Census. They do not tell you the deeper meaning or origin of the name itself.
2020 Census demographic breakdown
Each row shows a recorded Census category for people with the first name Courage.
| Group | Share | Count |
|---|---|---|
| Black | 59.33% | 229 |
| White | 20.73% | 80 |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 6.99% | 27 |
| Hispanic | 6.22% | 24 |
| Two or More Races | 4.66% | 18 |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 2.07% | 8 |
The Census published separate sex and race/origin tables for first names, so their total counts can differ slightly for the same name. That is why the race section focuses on the demographic mix rather than repeating a second headline count.
Courage: Popularity Over Time
SSA records for Courage span from the 1990s to the 2020s, covering 4 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 2010s, when 156 babies were registered. While Courage is less common than at its peak in the 2010s, it remains a well-established name with steady registrations.
Courage by Decade
How has Courage tracked across different eras? The table below groups all SSA birth registrations into 10-year periods, with separate male and female counts. The colored bar shows each decade's share relative to the peak.
Courage + Last Name Combinations
How many people share a full name with Courage as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Names Similar to Courage
Other first names starting with C with a similar number of bearers.
Courage: Questions and Answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Courage?
We estimate approximately 316 people named Courage are alive in the United States today. This is based on SSA birth records from 1880 to 2024, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables. About 1 in 1,084,666 Americans share this first name.
Is Courage a common name?
Courage is classified as "Very Rare" and is more popular than 79.8% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 319 births have been registered with this name since 1880.
When was Courage most popular?
Courage reached peak popularity in 2018, when 25 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named Courage is approximately 13 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.
How common was Courage in the 2020 Census?
The 2020 Census recorded 390 people with the first name Courage. That placed it at #24,628 in the published Census first-name tables, or 0.13 people per 100,000.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census number is a count of people with the name in 2020. The living estimate is a current model based on SSA birth records and survival rates, so it aims to estimate how many people with the name are alive now.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The popularity chart tracks birth registrations, not people currently alive. It shows how often Courage was given to babies from 1880 through 2024, which is why it is the best tool on the page for seeing long-run naming trends.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Courage?
In the 2020 Census snapshot, Courage was recorded as predominantly male. The published split was 69.7% male and 30.3% female.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Courage?
In the 2020 Census, the first name Courage was most commonly recorded among people who identified as Black (59.33%). The next largest recorded groups were White (20.73%) and American Indian and Alaska Native (6.99%). These percentages describe the people who had the name in the 2020 Census, not the deeper meaning or origin of the name itself.
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census published separate first-name tables for sex and for race and Hispanic origin. Those totals can differ slightly for the same name, so the page uses them as two related snapshots rather than treating them as perfectly interchangeable counts.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name tables only include names that met the Bureau's publication rules. That means some names on this site will have SSA history but no published Census demographic snapshot.
Is Courage a male name?
Courage is predominantly male. 80.6% of people with this name are male. See the gender breakdown above for full details.
Why can Courage have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because a name can build up a large population over many decades. Courage peaked in 2018, and the average living bearer is about 13 years old, so a name can still have millions of living bearers even after it stops feeling current for newborns.
How many Courage Smiths are there?
To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: Courage Smith, Courage Johnson, Courage Williams. You can also search any combination on our homepage.
Where does this data come from?
Our estimates use Social Security Administration birth records (1880 to 2024), adjusted for survival using CDC 2023 life tables broken down by sex. The U.S. population figure (342,754,338) is from the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimate. Full methodology.
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