How Many People Are Named Garvey?
An estimated 229 people in the United States have the first name Garvey. It is almost exclusively a male name. The average bearer is 26 years old, and Garvey peaked in popularity in 2017 with 15 births that year.
Below you will find a full statistical profile of Garvey 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 Garvey paired with any surname.
Estimated Living Americans
229
About 1 in 1,496,744 people in the U.S.
Rarity
Very Rare
Predicted Gender
Male
100.0% confidence
Average Age
26
years old
Peak Year
2017
15 births
Total Registered
319
since 1880
Gender Distribution for Garvey
Garvey is almost exclusively a male name. Out of 319 total births registered, 100.0% were male.
Garvey as a male name
Ranked #10,076 in 2023
7 male births in 2023
Peak: 2017 (15 births)
Garvey in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 342 people with the first name Garvey, which placed it at #26,960 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, Garvey was recorded as predominantly male. Out of 342 people with this name in that snapshot, 94.2% were male and 5.8% were female. That is less heavily male than the long-run SSA birth pattern on this page, which sits at 100.0% male.
Census Count
342
people with this name
Census Rank
#26,960
among Census first names
Frequency Rate
0.11
per 100,000 people
Recorded Race and Hispanic Origin in the 2020 Census
In the 2020 Census, the first name Garvey was most commonly recorded among people who identified as Black (60.53%). The next largest recorded groups were White (23.98%) and Hispanic (5.56%).
These percentages describe the people who had the first name Garvey 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 Garvey.
| Group | Share | Count |
|---|---|---|
| Black | 60.53% | 207 |
| White | 23.98% | 82 |
| Hispanic | 5.56% | 19 |
| Two or More Races | 4.97% | 17 |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 4.39% | 15 |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.58% | 2 |
Garvey: Popularity Over Time
SSA records for Garvey span from the 1910s to the 2020s, covering 12 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 2010s, when 69 babies were registered. While Garvey is less common than at its peak in the 2010s, it remains a well-established name with steady registrations.
Garvey by Decade
How has Garvey 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.
Garvey by State
Garvey + Last Name Combinations
How many people share a full name with Garvey as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Names Similar to Garvey
Other first names starting with G with a similar number of bearers.
Garvey: Questions and Answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Garvey?
We estimate approximately 229 people named Garvey 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 1,496,744 Americans share this first name.
Is Garvey a common name?
Garvey is classified as "Very Rare" and is more popular than 75.9% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 319 births have been registered with this name since 1880.
When was Garvey most popular?
Garvey reached peak popularity in 2017, when 15 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named Garvey is approximately 26 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.
How common was Garvey in the 2020 Census?
The 2020 Census recorded 342 people with the first name Garvey. That placed it at #26,960 in the published Census first-name tables, or 0.11 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 Garvey 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 Garvey?
In the 2020 Census snapshot, Garvey was recorded as predominantly male. The published split was 94.2% male and 5.8% female.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Garvey?
In the 2020 Census, the first name Garvey was most commonly recorded among people who identified as Black (60.53%). The next largest recorded groups were White (23.98%) and Hispanic (5.56%). 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 Garvey a male name?
Garvey is predominantly male. 100.0% of people with this name are male. See the gender breakdown above for full details.
Why can Garvey 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. Garvey peaked in 2017, and the average living bearer is about 26 years old, so a name can still have millions of living bearers even after it stops feeling current for newborns.
How many Garvey Smiths are there?
To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: Garvey Smith, Garvey Johnson, Garvey 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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