How Many People Are Named Charles Dance?

There are approximately 12 people named Charles Dance living in the United States today. That makes this name combination rare, occurring at a rate of about 1 in 28,562,862 Americans.

This estimate combines SSA birth records for the first name Charles with Census Bureau frequency data for the surname Dance. Below you will find a breakdown of both names, including popularity trends, gender data, and Census background data where it is available.

Estimated People with This Name

12

1 in 28,562,862 Americans

Combination Rarity

Rare

Very Rare Very Common

Charles: Popularity Over Time

Year-by-year SSA birth registrations for the first name Charles. The peak year was 1947 with 40,917 births. The average person named Charles today is 57 years old.

Male
Female
0 8K 16K 25K 33K 41K 1880 1900 1920 1940 1960 1980 2000 2020

Ancestry of the First Name Charles

In the 2020 Census, the first name Charles was most commonly recorded among people who identified as White (79.49%). The next largest recorded groups were Black (12.73%) and Hispanic (3.07%).

These percentages describe the people who had the first name Charles in the 2020 Census. They do not tell you the deeper origin or meaning of the name itself.

Read this as a snapshot of who already had the name in 2020, not as a trend line. The SSA chart above is still the better way to see how Charles rose or fell over time.

White
79.49%
Black
12.73%
Hispanic
3.07%
Asian/Pacific Islander
1.19%
American Indian/Alaska Native
0.63%
Two or More Races
2.90%

Ancestry of the Dance Surname

The surname Dance was most commonly recorded among people who identified as White in the 2020 Census.

This is a self-reported race and ethnicity breakdown for people who had the surname Dance in the published Census surname tables. It gives useful context around who was recorded with the name, but it does not tell the full family history of every Boone line.

White
64.70%
Black
24.56%
Hispanic
3.99%
Asian/Pacific Islander
0.74%
American Indian/Alaska Native
1.06%
Two or More Races
4.95%

How we calculated this

The first name "Charles" has an estimated frequency of 0.378% among living Americans, based on SSA birth records from 1880 to 2024 adjusted for mortality using CDC 2023 life tables.

The surname "Dance" appears at a rate of 0.95 per 100,000 people in the 2020 U.S. Census.

We do not use the Census first-name snapshot for the main estimate because it is only published once every 10 years. The latest public first-name Census file is from 2020, which is already 6 years old. SSA birth records plus CDC survival data give a better current estimate of how many people with the first name Charles are likely to be alive now.

Multiplying these frequencies against the U.S. population of ~343 million gives 12 estimated people. This assumes first names and last names are statistically independent. Full methodology.

Charles Dance: Questions and Answers

How many people are named Charles Dance?

We estimate approximately 12 people named Charles Dance are alive in the United States today. The first name Charles is shared by 1,296,413 Americans, and the surname Dance is shared by 3,245.

How rare is the name Charles Dance?

This name combination is classified as Rare, occurring at a rate of about 1 in 28,562,862 Americans. The first name Charles is very common and the surname Dance is rare.

Is Charles a male or female name?

Charles is predominantly male, with 99.5% of bearers being male and 0.5% female. It peaked in popularity in 1947 and the average bearer today is 57 years old.

What does the Census say about the first name Charles?

In the 2020 Census, the first name Charles was most commonly recorded among people who identified as White (79.49%). The next largest recorded groups were Black (12.73%) and Hispanic (3.07%). These percentages describe the people who had the name in the 2020 Census, not the deeper origin of the name itself.

Where does this data come from?

First name data comes from the Social Security Administration (1880 to 2024), adjusted for survival using CDC 2023 life tables. When available, first-name Census background data comes from the 2020 U.S. Census Bureau first-name tables. Surname data comes from the 2020 U.S. Census Bureau. Full methodology.

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