How Many People Are Named Down?
An estimated 14 people in the United States have the first name Down. It is almost exclusively a female name. The average bearer is 61 years old, and Down peaked in popularity in 1966 with 7 births that year.
Below you will find a full statistical profile of Down 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 Down paired with any surname.
Key Insights
- Down is exceptionally rare. Fewer than 100 people with this name are estimated to be alive in the U.S. today.
Estimated Living Americans
14
About 1 in 24,482,453 people in the U.S.
Rarity
Very Rare
Predicted Gender
Female
100.0% confidence
Average Age
61
years old
Peak Year
1966
7 births
Total Registered
17
since 1880
Gender Distribution for Down
Down is almost exclusively a female name. Out of 17 total births registered, 100.0% were female.
Down as a female name
Ranked #8,335 in 1970
5 female births in 1970
Peak: 1966 (7 births)
Down in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 170 people with the first name Down, which placed it at #42,346 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, Down was recorded as predominantly female. Out of 170 people with this name in that snapshot, 27.6% were male and 72.4% were female. That is less heavily female than the long-run SSA birth pattern on this page, which sits at 100.0% female.
Census Count
170
people with this name
Census Rank
#42,346
among Census first names
Frequency Rate
0.06
per 100,000 people
Recorded Race and Hispanic Origin in the 2020 Census
In the 2020 Census, the first name Down was most commonly recorded among people who identified as White (58.24%). The next largest recorded groups were Black (20.59%) and Hispanic (12.35%).
These percentages describe the people who had the first name Down 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 Down.
| Group | Share | Count |
|---|---|---|
| White | 58.24% | 99 |
| Black | 20.59% | 35 |
| Hispanic | 12.35% | 21 |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 7.65% | 13 |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 1.18% | 2 |
Down: Popularity Over Time
SSA records for Down span from the 1960s to the 1970s, covering 2 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 1960s, when 12 babies were registered. While Down is less common than at its peak in the 1960s, it remains a well-established name with steady registrations.
Down by Decade
How has Down 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.
Down + Last Name Combinations
How many people share a full name with Down as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Names Similar to Down
Other first names starting with D with a similar number of bearers.
Down: Questions and Answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Down?
We estimate approximately 14 people named Down 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 24,482,453 Americans share this first name.
Is Down a common name?
Down is classified as "Very Rare" and is more popular than 34% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 17 births have been registered with this name since 1880.
When was Down most popular?
Down reached peak popularity in 1966, when 7 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named Down is approximately 61 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.
How common was Down in the 2020 Census?
The 2020 Census recorded 170 people with the first name Down. That placed it at #42,346 in the published Census first-name tables, or 0.06 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 Down 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 Down?
In the 2020 Census snapshot, Down was recorded as predominantly female. The published split was 27.6% male and 72.4% female.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Down?
In the 2020 Census, the first name Down was most commonly recorded among people who identified as White (58.24%). The next largest recorded groups were Black (20.59%) and Hispanic (12.35%). 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 Down a female name?
Down is predominantly female. 100.0% of people with this name are female. See the gender breakdown above for full details.
Why can Down 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. Down peaked in 1966, and the average living bearer is about 61 years old, so a name can still have millions of living bearers even after it stops feeling current for newborns.
How many Down Smiths are there?
To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: Down Smith, Down Johnson, Down 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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