How Many People Are Named William Richards?

There are approximately 1,033 people named William Richards living in the United States today. That makes this name combination common, occurring at a rate of about 1 in 331,805 Americans.

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

Estimated People with This Name

1,033

1 in 331,805 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 Richards Surname

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

White
78.67%
Black
14.86%
Hispanic
2.81%
Asian/Pacific Islander
0.66%
American Indian/Alaska Native
1.04%
Two or More Races
1.96%

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 "Richards" appears at a rate of 44.25 per 100,000 people in the 2010 U.S. Census.

Multiplying these frequencies against the U.S. population of ~343 million gives 1,033 estimated people. This assumes first names and last names are statistically independent. Full methodology.

William Richards: Questions and Answers

How many people are named William Richards?

We estimate approximately 1,033 people named William Richards are alive in the United States today. The first name William is shared by 2,335,115 Americans, and the surname Richards is shared by 148,633.

How rare is the name William Richards?

This name combination is classified as Common, occurring at a rate of about 1 in 331,805 Americans. The first name William is very common and the surname Richards 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 1,033 people with the name

William Richards

in the United States

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