August 8, 2002

3:22 PM

What is the estimated US Population at this very moment? Find out at the official site of the US census. More fascinating information available by checking out the 2000 census homepage. As a post-script, what are your favorite sites for collecting interesting statistics?
posted by cell divide (16 comments total)

The answer just now is 287,732,902. My favorite data at census.gov are the rankings of every first and last name in the country by frequency.
posted by damehex at 3:47 PM on August 8, 2002

and almost thirty minutes later, it's 287,733,305. Funky.
posted by Ufez Jones at 4:04 PM on August 8, 2002

check that, almost twenty. Forgot that my computer clock is fast. D'oh!
posted by Ufez Jones at 4:05 PM on August 8, 2002

My favorite data at census.gov are the rankings of every first and last name in the country by frequency.

not every last name. mine isn't listed.
posted by fore at 4:30 PM on August 8, 2002

Hmm. Not sure how complete that big list of names is. My last name doesn't show up and I know there's a small scattering of Calams in the US.
posted by Monk at 4:35 PM on August 8, 2002

Watch the worlds population grow before your eyes!
posted by rightho at 4:41 PM on August 8, 2002

Census data not perfectly complete? I won't hear of it! You're one of those rabble rousers or "rights advocacy" people, aren't you?

I managed to break the page load in IE6 by searching before it was all loaded. Alas, of the 81123 ranked names there are no Calams. Should you perhaps visit the courthouse and change it to Clammer (#44247)?
posted by damehex at 4:47 PM on August 8, 2002

So, to figure out how bland a name you have, add the ranking of your first name to the ranking of your last name. The lower the total, the more bland. If you can't find your name, just use the ranking of the least common name + 1.

I get a 35.

Anyone more bland? Do we have a James or Mary Smith?
posted by pitchblende at 5:18 PM on August 8, 2002

My favourite sources of statistics? Well, until PETA stopped me it was the age old practice of haruspicy. If it weren't for those meddling kids... Now I'm forced to resort to The Magic Eight-Ball.

In all seriousness, statistics are only good as the credibility and ethics of the person or agency who created them. For instance, what does nine out of ten dentists recommend Crest really mean? Is it a recommendation of this toothpaste against all others or is it a recommendation over not brushing ever?
posted by substrate at 6:26 PM on August 8, 2002

My favorite stats are, of course, the baseball kind.

(Even if you aren't interested in the subject, you might find it interesting that these two databases - which represent thousands of hours of work - are freeware. I personally think data is one of the great philanthropic gifts of the electronic era.)
posted by PrinceValium at 6:46 PM on August 8, 2002

here's kind of a related thread on fave statistical sites :) stats galore!
posted by kliuless at 7:17 PM on August 8, 2002

287,734,776

*shoots self*

287,734,775
posted by jonmc at 9:08 PM on August 8, 2002

See also:
National Debt Clock (as well as the official, ~daily debt to the penny).

When the National Debt Clock in Times Square began going backward, it got confusing -- and was unplugged two months before the election; last week it was restarted.

* AIDS clock
* Tobacco Clock
* Doomsday Clock
* Asteroid Impact Countdown Clock (for the 2028 pass of 1997XF, not currently considered an impact risk)
* Space Shuttle Countdown; live page.
* Bush administration countdown clock
* Digital Doomsday Clock with several doomsdays, many past, listed -- including Christmas. Go figure.
* CEO WealthMeter {sorry, no Enron -- this is for tech stocks}
* Many more internet counter clocks of various types.

* Javascript countdown code to make your own for any other purpose

... and of course your own personal Death Clock.
posted by dhartung at 2:13 AM on August 9, 2002

Anyone more bland? Do we have a James or Mary Smith?

Yes. "Robert Jones". 7.

I hate when people ask me if its an alias.
posted by jammer at 2:15 PM on August 9, 2002

You've got me by a couple of points, there jammer.

I'm a nine, Susan Smith.

I hate being asked if it's an alias, as well.
posted by SuzySmith at 3:33 PM on August 9, 2002

the rankings of every first and last name in the country by frequency

I would like to point out that according to this list, the name "Frank" is more common than the name "Crissy".

For women.

Frank.
posted by triggerfinger at 12:41 AM on August 10, 2002