There are 300,000,000 people in the U.S. How many have your name?

October 26, 2006 7:41 PM

How many me's are there?
posted by aerotive (70 comments total)

None, apparently. Not even one with the same first name as mine.
posted by bunglin jones at 7:44 PM on October 26, 2006

Cool idea, but as someone with a (relatively) uncommon last name, it is not that satisfying, returning 0 people with my last name, and explaining "Around 1 out of every 10 people will have a last name not on the list." Too large a margin of error for me...
posted by blahblahblah at 7:45 PM on October 26, 2006

93 people share my name. Neat.
posted by zardoz at 7:46 PM on October 26, 2006

Matt Haughey
posted by quonsar at 7:53 PM on October 26, 2006

My namesake cousin will be disappointed to hear that he doesn't exist. Of course, somebody will have to tell him for me since I don't exist either. And that person will have to be from outside the family because... well, you get the idea.

I guess if your name is "John Smith" or something this could be fun...
posted by Opposite George at 7:53 PM on October 26, 2006

5761 of me in the US. I don't even appear when you google my name. Though, for this, I had to leave out my middle names, which usually serve to set me apart somewhat.
posted by Pseudoephedrine at 7:54 PM on October 26, 2006

lol Opposite George. Although you'd think there'd be more people with the first name Opposite. :-)
posted by jourman2 at 7:57 PM on October 26, 2006

120 of me in the US btw.
posted by jourman2 at 7:57 PM on October 26, 2006

It's wrong. It says there are none of me in the U.S., and I *know* there's at least one.
posted by diddlegnome at 7:58 PM on October 26, 2006

there is no me.
posted by Busithoth at 7:59 PM on October 26, 2006

I *know* there's at least one.

?!? The internets never lie.
posted by Opposite George at 8:00 PM on October 26, 2006

12,319

That explains a lot.
posted by lordrunningclam at 8:04 PM on October 26, 2006

39849 me, 39681085 first name 3017684 last name. Although there are 39 people named Richard Hertz
posted by mss at 8:04 PM on October 26, 2006

Four of me in the USA. Which seems like far too few. There's at least one person in my small (400K) town with the same name as me. OK, I'm outside the USA, but you would think that in a country of 300 million, there would be more than 4.

What's more, I've found at least 4 Americans online who share my name.
posted by Infinite Jest at 8:05 PM on October 26, 2006

there is no me.

Only Zuul?
posted by joshjs at 8:10 PM on October 26, 2006

0 people have my exact name.

And though there are historical reasons why this is, it is still rather dishearting to me that 99.9 percent of people named Sacha are female.

At the same time, that sounds a little high, as I do in fact know other male Sachas (or Sashas).
posted by Alex404 at 8:12 PM on October 26, 2006

Also, RussellFilter:

A name is an incomplete statement waiting for its unique object. Do not confuse the meaning of a name with its reference.

Point: You are not your name.
posted by Alex404 at 8:15 PM on October 26, 2006

Of the Simpsons references I tried, only one worked: Anita Bath.
posted by joshjs at 8:19 PM on October 26, 2006

I typed in a friend's name, and it claimed that no one had his first name, which is Johan (and no one has his last name, either). For my own name, it says there is one.

I don't find this site at all credible.
posted by Goofyy at 8:20 PM on October 26, 2006

thanks for the russelesque statement, alex. anyways, i'd like to ask whether it is proper grammar to pluralize 'me' with an apostrophe s. (it's hard for me as a fan of english to see the apostrophe used so often to indicate plural when that is not its proper duty , and i'm beginning to feel that it's becoming a standard practice... i.e. the sign down the street advertising "condo's from the 190s". anybody else notice this phenomenon happening?)
posted by localhuman at 8:24 PM on October 26, 2006

proper duty of apostrophe
posted by localhuman at 8:25 PM on October 26, 2006

Yeah, not credible at all. No one with the first name Cooper? I don't buy it.
posted by dobbs at 8:31 PM on October 26, 2006

localhuman, yes it's happening more and more and yes, it's incorrect. CD's drives me bonkers. There's an ad on the side of buses these days in Toronto that say "Rejoin the Have's". It looks ridiculous.
posted by dobbs at 8:33 PM on October 26, 2006

and it's here
posted by localhuman at 8:37 PM on October 26, 2006

1. which I guess is me.
posted by bob sarabia at 8:40 PM on October 26, 2006

The FAQ page.
The program returns an estimate based on available data. It should be considered a "ballpark figure". It will usually return an answer in the right general area, but the chances of the figure being exactly right are very low.

There is 1 person in the U.S. named Dick Cheney.
There is 1 person in the U.S. named Winston Churchill.
posted by weapons-grade pandemonium at 8:46 PM on October 26, 2006

Does the program really know how many people have the same name as me?

No.
posted by weapons-grade pandemonium at 8:47 PM on October 26, 2006

If I'd taken my husband's name, there would be almost 40,000 of me. Thank goodness I kept my own and am only one of 277.
posted by maryh at 8:52 PM on October 26, 2006

"There are 8 people in the U.S. named Guy Smiley."

(and I'm not even one of them)
posted by Guy Smiley at 8:52 PM on October 26, 2006

It returned 3 for me.

There's a similar site at yournotme.co.uk. I believe it searches the electoral roll in the UK for names similar to yours.

It gave me 4.

I suppose that means there's at least 8 'me's in the world.
posted by cholly at 8:55 PM on October 26, 2006

There's an ad on the side of buses these days in Toronto that say "Rejoin the Have's". It looks ridiculous.
Not to the Have Not's on the bus.
posted by weapons-grade pandemonium at 8:56 PM on October 26, 2006

IANA copy editor but to me, the apostrophe thing is debatable - rules demand exceptions when overly-simplistic obedience makes text difficult to read. IMHO, mes would be hard to parse and "me"s would be ugly.

And I don't know that the CDs over CD's thing is universally accepted (though things seem to be heading that way.) Back in the late Stone Age when I took English "CD's" would have been preferred and the NY Times was certainly fond of the construction in recent memory - maybe they still are.
posted by Opposite George at 8:57 PM on October 26, 2006

However, searches on both sites return zero on cholly for first names or last names. *tear*
posted by cholly at 8:59 PM on October 26, 2006

There are none of me, does that mean I'll cease to exis.........
posted by fenriq at 9:03 PM on October 26, 2006

How many me's are there?
There are 630 people in the U.S. with the last name Me.
There are 390 people in the U.S. with the last name Them.
There are 2,160 people in the U.S. with the last name You.
There are 2,910 people in the U.S. with the last name He.
There are 420 people in the U.S. with the last name Us.
There are 390 people in the U.S. with the last name Why.
posted by weapons-grade pandemonium at 9:04 PM on October 26, 2006

There's just one with my name, but I'm not sure if it's me or not.
posted by brain cloud at 9:08 PM on October 26, 2006

There is 1 person in the U.S. named Dick Cheney.
There is 1 person in the U.S. named Winston Churchill.

There's also apparently 1 person in the U.S. named Adolph Churchill. Poor bastard must have the world's lowest self-esteem.

However, there are no Ted Hitlers. Which means Stephen Colbert--if that's his real name--lied to me. The bastard.
posted by arto at 9:14 PM on October 26, 2006

Well, it turns out at least 2 people in the US are named "Harry Balls"

Yea, it's juvenile, but my mom had a great story about a guy named Harry Balls she worked with...
posted by WetherMan at 9:15 PM on October 26, 2006

But, *sniff*, no Harry Balzacs.
posted by Opposite George at 9:35 PM on October 26, 2006

There are 19 of me. But does it still count me, as I moved outside of the US?
posted by vagabond at 9:36 PM on October 26, 2006

There are a couple of poor guys named Jeffrey Dahmer.
posted by joshjs at 9:45 PM on October 26, 2006

There is no Wendell Wittler, which is OK, because that's not my legal name. But it says there is only one of my legal name out there and I know there is a second because I found him (and his different middle initial) while searching for myself on a phone directory site. But then, maybe I've spent too much time online as Wendell and now... I'm neither!

Either that or their calculations are screwy.
posted by wendell at 10:12 PM on October 26, 2006

Sarah Connor
posted by CeruleanZero at 10:22 PM on October 26, 2006

I'm relatively confident in saying that I'm likely the only person in the world with my combination of first + last names. This search has done nothing to disprove that because my last name didn't come up.
posted by anjamu at 10:25 PM on October 26, 2006

There are 0 people in the U.S. named Turd Blossom.
posted by stirfry at 10:37 PM on October 26, 2006

I'm only available in Canada!
posted by Schlimmbesserung at 10:39 PM on October 26, 2006

There is no Wendell Wittler, which is OK, because that's not my legal name. But it says there is only one of my legal name out there and I know there is a second because I found him (and his different middle initial) while searching for myself on a phone directory site. But then, maybe I've spent too much time online as Wendell and now... I'm neither!

My name is Harvey Pekar. That's an unusual name, "Harvey Pekar."

1960 was the year I got my first apartment and my first phone book. Now imagine my surprise when I looked up my name and saw that in addition to me, another Harvey Pekar was listed. Now, I was listed as "Harvey L. Pekar" -- my middle name is Lawrence -- and he was listed as "Harvey Pekar." Therefore his was a - was a purer listing.

Then in the '70s, I noticed that a third Harvey Pekar was listed in the phone book. Now, this filled me with curiosity. How can there be three people with such an unusual name in the world, let alone in one city?

Then, one day, a person I work with expressed her sympathy with me concerning what she thought was the death of my father, and she pointed out an obituary notice in the newspaper for a man named Harvey Pekar. And one of his sons was named Harvey. And these were the other Harvey Pekars. And six months later, Harvey Pekar Jr. died. And although I've met neither man, I was filled with sadness: "What were they like?", I thought. It seemed that our lives had been linked in some indefinable way.

But the story does not end there, for two years later another "Harvey Pekar" appeared in the phone book.

Who are these people? Where do they come from? What do they do?

What's in a name?

Who is "Harvey Pekar?"

posted by Opposite George at 10:57 PM on October 26, 2006

"Rejoin the Have's". It looks ridiculous.

That ad has sparked many a hate-on among my friends.
posted by Alex404 at 11:47 PM on October 26, 2006

0 first name, 0 last name, 0 combination (obviously)
sucks to be me.
posted by Jelreyn at 11:56 PM on October 26, 2006

"Rejoin the Have's"

Immediately, the thought that came to me was that this is a Hummer ad. I threw up a little in my mouth.

Is it a Hummer ad? I want to know that my bile didn't go to waste.
posted by id at 12:13 AM on October 27, 2006

quonsar: try "matthew" instead of matt.. then there are 5 Matthew Haughey's...
posted by mhh5 at 12:19 AM on October 27, 2006

There is one of me in the US. And it isn't me. Odd. Appears he is a high school basketball player in the midwest.
posted by Rumple at 12:22 AM on October 27, 2006

There is one me. It appears to be me, oddly enough. I'm not sure where to claim my prize.
posted by maxwelton at 1:40 AM on October 27, 2006

There are exactly 666 with the same name as my daughter.

Cue theremin.
posted by hal9k at 2:02 AM on October 27, 2006

There are 8 people in the U.S. named Chuck Norris. 7 of them (including that fake columnist) will be discovered, by dental records alone, in the slit-open belly of the eighth.
posted by maryh at 2:03 AM on October 27, 2006

45 with my name in the States. I'm obviously not one of them. 500,948 with my first name and 26,997 with my last name. I'm surprised there's so many Waddells out there.
posted by antifuse at 3:14 AM on October 27, 2006

Apparently 22 people in the US have my name, but my wife doesn't exist at all. Neither does her grandmother.
posted by Faint of Butt at 3:46 AM on October 27, 2006

quonsar: try "matthew" instead of matt.. then there are 5 Matthew Haughey's...

wow. just... wow.
posted by quonsar at 4:13 AM on October 27, 2006

There is another one of me?!? What the hell? There are 720 people with my last name and *2* with my exact name. Who is this guy? How can I meet him?

Oh, and my girlfriend doesn't exist. Which might explain some things.
posted by Lazlo Hollyfeld at 6:25 AM on October 27, 2006

So, with this wonderful tool I have learned the following things:

There are 12 of my dad.
I have a doppleganger.
My mom is unique.
My sister, brother in law and girlfriend all don't exist.

I'm not sure I trust this thing...
posted by Lazlo Hollyfeld at 6:31 AM on October 27, 2006

You are not a beautiful, unique snowflake.
posted by LordSludge at 6:37 AM on October 27, 2006

Apparently even I don't exist. There is nobody with my first name.
posted by JJ86 at 7:51 AM on October 27, 2006

0 Floydds, 0 Foonts.
I am a figment of my own twisted imagination.
posted by Floydd at 8:04 AM on October 27, 2006

You fools. Don't you see what is going on here? This site is constructed by a serial killer obsessed with numerology.

Better change your locks.
posted by tkchrist at 9:01 AM on October 27, 2006

"99.75 percent of people with the first name David are male."

I wondered about that other .25% till I remembered this actress. But she's not named David.
posted by davy at 9:34 AM on October 27, 2006

On the other hand, "There are 0 people in the U.S. named Adolf Hitler." But pace Chevy Chase (who does not exist), "[t]here are 26 people in the U.S. named Francisco Franco."
posted by davy at 9:39 AM on October 27, 2006

I can't imagine this this is accurate, but that said ... it says there is only one of me. I'm unique. :)

Then again, if you change "Chuck" (which is what I go by) to "Charles", it says there are 80 of me. I know of at least one other with the same name, because I once got a notification that there was a warrant out for his arrest that they decided to send to my address, apparently due to same lazy name-address matching.

Two days later I got pulled over for (apparently) no reason, with the cops approaching the car with guns drawn. They immediately sheathed them when they noticed that I'm not in fact a 6'2" black guy as the warrant said, but a 5'8" fishbelly white guy.

That was ... quite an experience.
posted by chuq at 1:04 PM on October 27, 2006

“0 people have my exact name”
Wow, I’ll have to tell my grandfather he doesn’t exist.
posted by Smedleyman at 1:42 PM on October 27, 2006

Their math is obviously flawed, because it doesn't take into account that first and last names will be correlated to a certain degree along ethnic and linguistic lines.

For example, it tells me that there are just as many people called Pilar McDonald (seven) as there are people called Pilar Gomez. Somehow I don't think that's true.

Similarly, Jesus Quintana and Walter Sobchak are going to be more likely than Walter Quintana and Jesus Sobchak.
posted by sour cream at 3:00 PM on October 27, 2006

There are 5 John Publics, but not a single Everyman. Also, there are 295 John Doe's but only 22 Jane Doe's.
posted by Citizen Premier at 3:01 PM on October 27, 2006