How Many People Are Named Sean Maher?

There are approximately 30 people named Sean Maher living in the United States today. That makes this name combination rare, occurring at a rate of about 1 in 11,425,145 Americans.

This estimate combines SSA birth records for the first name Sean with Census Bureau frequency data for the surname Maher. 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

30

1 in 11,425,145 Americans

Combination Rarity

Rare

Very Rare Very Common

Sean: Popularity Over Time

Year-by-year SSA birth registrations for the first name Sean. The peak year was 1990 with 12,070 births. The average person named Sean today is 39 years old.

Male
Female
0 2K 5K 7K 10K 12K 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020

Ancestry of the First Name Sean

In the 2020 Census, the first name Sean was most commonly recorded among people who identified as White (76.52%). The next largest recorded groups were Black (8.52%) and Hispanic (6.16%).

These percentages describe the people who had the first name Sean 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 Sean rose or fell over time.

White
76.52%
Black
8.52%
Hispanic
6.16%
Asian/Pacific Islander
3.54%
American Indian/Alaska Native
0.46%
Two or More Races
4.80%

Ancestry of the Maher Surname

The surname Maher 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 Maher 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
91.24%
Black
0.51%
Hispanic
3.46%
Asian/Pacific Islander
1.42%
American Indian/Alaska Native
0.33%
Two or More Races
3.04%

How we calculated this

The first name "Sean" has an estimated frequency of 0.118% among living Americans, based on SSA birth records from 1880 to 2024 adjusted for mortality using CDC 2023 life tables.

The surname "Maher" appears at a rate of 7.53 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 Sean are likely to be alive now.

Multiplying these frequencies against the U.S. population of ~343 million gives 30 estimated people. This assumes first names and last names are statistically independent. Full methodology.

Sean Maher: Questions and Answers

How many people are named Sean Maher?

We estimate approximately 30 people named Sean Maher are alive in the United States today. The first name Sean is shared by 403,789 Americans, and the surname Maher is shared by 25,806.

How rare is the name Sean Maher?

This name combination is classified as Rare, occurring at a rate of about 1 in 11,425,145 Americans. The first name Sean is common and the surname Maher is uncommon.

Is Sean a male or female name?

Sean is predominantly male, with 99.3% of bearers being male and 0.7% female. It peaked in popularity in 1990 and the average bearer today is 39 years old.

What does the Census say about the first name Sean?

In the 2020 Census, the first name Sean was most commonly recorded among people who identified as White (76.52%). The next largest recorded groups were Black (8.52%) and Hispanic (6.16%). 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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