How Many People Are Named Earl?
An estimated 99,452 people in the United States have the first name Earl. It is predominantly male (99.2%). The average bearer is 67 years old, and Earl peaked in popularity in 1921 with 6,797 births that year.
Below you will find a full statistical profile of Earl 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 Earl paired with any surname.
Key Insights
- While Earl is overwhelmingly male, 2,247 female births have been registered with this name since 1880.
- With an average bearer age of 67, Earl is a vintage name most associated with earlier generations. Most living bearers were born before 1969.
- Earl has fallen dramatically from its peak in the 1920s. Recent registrations are less than 5% of what they were at the name's height.
Estimated Living Americans
99,452
About 1 in 3,446 people in the U.S.
Rarity
Uncommon
Predicted Gender
Male
99.2% confidence
Average Age
67
years old
Peak Year
1921
6,797 births
Total Registered
291,355
since 1880
Gender Distribution for Earl
Earl is almost exclusively a male name. Out of 291,355 total births registered, 99.2% were male.
Earl as a male name
Ranked #2,152 in 2024
68 male births in 2024
Peak: 1921 (6,754 births)
Earl as a female name
Ranked #12,354 in 1988
5 female births in 1988
Peak: 1930 (73 births)
Earl in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 92,567 people with the first name Earl, which placed it at #576 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, Earl was recorded as predominantly male. Out of 92,567 people with this name in that snapshot, 99.7% were male and 0.3% were female. That is very close to the long-run birth pattern in SSA records, where the name is male 99.2% of the time.
Census Count
92,567
people with this name
Census Rank
#576
among Census first names
Frequency Rate
30.65
per 100,000 people
Recorded Race and Hispanic Origin in the 2020 Census
In the 2020 Census, the first name Earl was most commonly recorded among people who identified as White (67.83%). The next largest recorded groups were Black (24.88%) and Two or More Races (2.76%).
These percentages describe the people who had the first name Earl 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 Earl.
| Group | Share | Count |
|---|---|---|
| White | 67.83% | 62,791 |
| Black | 24.88% | 23,030 |
| Two or More Races | 2.76% | 2,552 |
| Hispanic | 1.77% | 1,641 |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 1.62% | 1,504 |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 1.13% | 1,047 |
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.
Earl: Popularity Over Time
SSA records for Earl span from the 1880s to the 2020s, covering 15 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 1920s, when 64,153 babies were registered. Earl has declined significantly from its peak in the 1920s. Recent registrations are a fraction of what they were at the name's height.
Earl by Decade
How has Earl 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.
| Decade | Total | Male | Female | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 4,843 | 4,830 | 13 | |
| 1890s | 8,389 | 8,297 | 92 | |
| 1900s | 9,387 | 9,251 | 136 | |
| 1910s | 40,557 | 40,273 | 284 | |
| 1920s | 64,153 | 63,602 | 551 | |
| 1930s | 45,014 | 44,613 | 401 | |
| 1940s | 39,365 | 39,127 | 238 | |
| 1950s | 32,831 | 32,652 | 179 | |
| 1960s | 20,524 | 20,369 | 155 | |
| 1970s | 11,533 | 11,404 | 129 | |
| 1980s | 7,467 | 7,398 | 69 | |
| 1990s | 3,908 | 3,908 | 0 | |
| 2000s | 1,906 | 1,906 | 0 | |
| 2010s | 1,102 | 1,102 | 0 | |
| 2020s | 376 | 376 | 0 | |
Earl by State
Birth registrations for Earl span all 51 states and territories in the SSA database. The highest counts are in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Illinois. The lowest are in Alaska, Nevada, Wyoming. On average, about 5,180 Earls were registered per state.
Earl + Last Name Combinations
How many people share a full name with Earl as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Names Similar to Earl
Other first names starting with E with a similar number of bearers.
Earl: Questions and Answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Earl?
We estimate approximately 99,452 people named Earl 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 3,446 Americans share this first name.
Is Earl a common name?
Earl is classified as "Uncommon" and is more popular than 99.5% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 291,355 births have been registered with this name since 1880.
When was Earl most popular?
Earl reached peak popularity in 1921, when 6,797 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named Earl is approximately 67 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.
How common was Earl in the 2020 Census?
The 2020 Census recorded 92,567 people with the first name Earl. That placed it at #576 in the published Census first-name tables, or 30.65 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 Earl 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 Earl?
In the 2020 Census snapshot, Earl was recorded as predominantly male. The published split was 99.7% male and 0.3% female.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Earl?
In the 2020 Census, the first name Earl was most commonly recorded among people who identified as White (67.83%). The next largest recorded groups were Black (24.88%) and Two or More Races (2.76%). 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 Earl a male name?
Earl is predominantly male. 99.2% of people with this name are male. See the gender breakdown above for full details.
Why can Earl 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. Earl peaked in 1921, and the average living bearer is about 67 years old, so a name can still have millions of living bearers even after it stops feeling current for newborns.
How many Earl Smiths are there?
To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: Earl Smith, Earl Johnson, Earl 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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