How Many People Are Named James Obrien?
There are approximately 1,263 people named James Obrien living in the United States today. That makes this name combination common, occurring at a rate of about 1 in 271,381 Americans.
This estimate combines SSA birth records for the first name James with Census Bureau frequency data for the surname Obrien. Below you will find a breakdown of both names, including popularity trends, gender data, and ancestry information.
Estimated People with This Name
1,263
1 in 271,381 Americans
Combination Rarity
Common
First Name
View full profileJames
Last Name
View full profileObrien
James: Popularity Over Time
Year-by-year SSA birth registrations for the first name James. The peak year was 1947 with 95,020 births. The average person named James today is 57 years old.
Ancestry of the Obrien Surname
Self-reported race and ethnicity breakdown for people with the surname Obrien, from the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau.
How we calculated this
The first name "James" has an estimated frequency of 0.917% among living Americans, based on SSA birth records from 1880 to 2024 adjusted for mortality using CDC 2023 life tables.
The surname "Obrien" appears at a rate of 40.19 per 100,000 people in the 2010 U.S. Census.
Multiplying these frequencies against the U.S. population of ~343 million gives 1,263 estimated people. This assumes first names and last names are statistically independent. Full methodology.
Other people named James
Other people with the surname Obrien
James Obrien: Questions and Answers
How many people are named James Obrien?
We estimate approximately 1,263 people named James Obrien are alive in the United States today. The first name James is shared by 3,142,267 Americans, and the surname Obrien is shared by 134,995.
How rare is the name James Obrien?
This name combination is classified as Common, occurring at a rate of about 1 in 271,381 Americans. The first name James is very common and the surname Obrien is common.
Is James a male or female name?
James 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.
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. Surname data comes from the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau. Full methodology.
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