How Many People Are Named Thelma Drake?

There are approximately 7 people named Thelma Drake living in the United States today. That makes this name combination very rare, occurring at a rate of about 1 in 48,964,905 Americans.

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

7

1 in 48,964,905 Americans

Combination Rarity

Very Rare

Very Rare Very Common

Thelma: Popularity Over Time

Year-by-year SSA birth registrations for the first name Thelma. The peak year was 1921 with 7,871 births. The average person named Thelma today is 74 years old.

Male
Female
0 2K 3K 5K 6K 8K 1880 1900 1920 1940 1960 1980 2000 2020

Ancestry of the First Name Thelma

In the 2020 Census, the first name Thelma was most commonly recorded among people who identified as White (50.67%). The next largest recorded groups were Black (28.54%) and Hispanic (13.03%).

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

White
50.67%
Black
28.54%
Hispanic
13.03%
Asian/Pacific Islander
4.85%
American Indian/Alaska Native
0.89%
Two or More Races
2.02%

Ancestry of the Drake Surname

The surname Drake 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 Drake 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
76.75%
Black
14.19%
Hispanic
3.31%
Asian/Pacific Islander
0.70%
American Indian/Alaska Native
0.69%
Two or More Races
4.36%

How we calculated this

The first name "Thelma" has an estimated frequency of < 0.0001% among living Americans, based on SSA birth records from 1880 to 2024 adjusted for mortality using CDC 2023 life tables.

The surname "Drake" appears at a rate of 19.76 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 Thelma are likely to be alive now.

Multiplying these frequencies against the U.S. population of ~343 million gives 7 estimated people. This assumes first names and last names are statistically independent. Full methodology.

Thelma Drake: Questions and Answers

How many people are named Thelma Drake?

We estimate approximately 7 people named Thelma Drake are alive in the United States today. The first name Thelma is shared by 33,745 Americans, and the surname Drake is shared by 67,720.

How rare is the name Thelma Drake?

This name combination is classified as Very Rare, occurring at a rate of about 1 in 48,964,905 Americans. The first name Thelma is uncommon and the surname Drake is uncommon.

Is Thelma a male or female name?

Thelma is predominantly female, with 0.5% of bearers being male and 99.5% female. It peaked in popularity in 1921 and the average bearer today is 74 years old.

What does the Census say about the first name Thelma?

In the 2020 Census, the first name Thelma was most commonly recorded among people who identified as White (50.67%). The next largest recorded groups were Black (28.54%) and Hispanic (13.03%). 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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