The Oldest Names in the United States

The Oldest Names in the United States
graph by Erin R. Davis; slow reveal by Jenna Laib

Type of Graph: bar graph

Purpose

This slow reveal is designed to support analysis and discussion of both the data and the design choices. The questions in the slide deck invite learners to consider statistical measures like mean, interpret a histogram, examine trends, estimate values, discuss measures of center and measures of spread, and make connections.

About This Graph

This visualization is not provided for reuse or redistribution. Readers and educators are encouraged to view the original visualization in its published context.

Original Visualization:
Davis, Erin R. “What’s the oldest name in the U.S.?” Data Stuff: May 29, 2026.
Accessed at: https://erdavis.com/2026/05/29/whats-the-oldest-name-in-the-u-s/

Data Sources:
From Erin Davis:
In short, the U.S. government produces estimates of the share of people born in year X who will still be alive in year Y. It also produces data on how many babies with a given name are born in each year.

By combining these two datasets, we can estimate how many babies with a specific name born in year X are still alive in 2025. Then, we can use those numbers to find a weighted average age for that name. (One big flaw this doesn’t account for immigration, but I haven’t found a way around that)

Social Security Administration:
“Cohort Life Tables.”
Accessed at https://www.ssa.gov/OACT/HistEst/CohLifeTables/2024/CohLifeTables2024.html

“Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications – National Data”
Accessed at: https://catalog.data.gov/dataset/baby-names-from-social-security-card-applications-national-data

In The Classroom

There are many different mathematical connections that can be made to this data and data visualization.

Potential Math Content: histogram, measures of center, mean, measure of spread, statistics, grade 6, grade 7, bins, typical, typicality, average, data collection methodology, comparing data sets

Potential Content Connections: names, historical trends