How Many People Are Named William Gray?

There are approximately 1,948 people named William Gray living in the United States today. That makes this name combination common, occurring at a rate of about 1 in 175,952 Americans.

This estimate combines SSA birth records for the first name William with Census Bureau frequency data for the surname Gray. Below you will find a breakdown of both names, including popularity trends, gender data, and ancestry information.

Estimated People with This Name

1,948

1 in 175,952 Americans

Combination Rarity

Common

Very Rare Very Common

William: Popularity Over Time

Year-by-year SSA birth registrations for the first name William. The peak year was 1947 with 67,155 births. The average person named William today is 54 years old.

Male
Female
0 13K 27K 40K 54K 67K 1880 1900 1920 1940 1960 1980 2000 2020

Ancestry of the Gray Surname

Self-reported race and ethnicity breakdown for people with the surname Gray, from the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau.

White
68.68%
Black
25.13%
Hispanic
2.41%
Asian/Pacific Islander
0.54%
American Indian/Alaska Native
0.91%
Two or More Races
2.33%

How we calculated this

The first name "William" has an estimated frequency of 0.681% among living Americans, based on SSA birth records from 1880 to 2024 adjusted for mortality using CDC 2023 life tables.

The surname "Gray" appears at a rate of 83.44 per 100,000 people in the 2010 U.S. Census.

Multiplying these frequencies against the U.S. population of ~343 million gives 1,948 estimated people. This assumes first names and last names are statistically independent. Full methodology.

William Gray: Questions and Answers

How many people are named William Gray?

We estimate approximately 1,948 people named William Gray are alive in the United States today. The first name William is shared by 2,335,115 Americans, and the surname Gray is shared by 280,269.

How rare is the name William Gray?

This name combination is classified as Common, occurring at a rate of about 1 in 175,952 Americans. The first name William is very common and the surname Gray is common.

Is William a male or female name?

William is predominantly male, with 99.6% of bearers being male and 0.4% female. It peaked in popularity in 1947 and the average bearer today is 54 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.

How Many of Me
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There are 1,948 people with the name

William Gray

in the United States

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