Atreau
A French name derived from the Germanic element "aud" meaning wealthy.
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Atreau. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Atreau today is around 24 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Atreau births was 2002 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Atreau. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Atreau. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
2002
5 babies that year
Average age
24
years old
2002 SSA rank
#10,828
Tracked since 2002
Popularity
Atreau: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Atreau by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Atreau during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Atreau
The name Atreau is believed to have originated from the ancient Greek language, derived from the word "atretos," which means "unperforated" or "impenetrable." This suggests that the name may have been associated with strength, resilience, and unwavering determination.
The earliest known records of the name Atreau can be traced back to the 5th century BC, where it appeared in various Greek texts and historical accounts. One notable figure bearing this name was Atreau of Corinth, a renowned philosopher and mathematician who lived around 420 BC. He is credited with advancing the study of geometry and contributing to the development of early mathematical theories.
During the Hellenistic period, which spanned from the 4th to the 1st century BC, the name Atreau gained popularity across the Greek-speaking world. It was often given to sons born into noble or influential families, symbolizing the parents' hopes for their children to possess unwavering character and resilience.
In the Middle Ages, the name Atreau resurfaced in various regions influenced by Greek culture, particularly in parts of the Byzantine Empire and the Eastern Mediterranean. One notable bearer of the name was Atreau of Antioch, a prominent theologian and scholar who lived in the 6th century AD. His writings and teachings significantly shaped the development of early Christian theology.
During the Renaissance period, the name Atreau experienced a revival, particularly among humanist scholars and intellectuals who were fascinated by classical Greek literature and philosophy. One such individual was Atreau Venetus, an Italian scholar and translator born in 1490, who made significant contributions to the preservation and dissemination of ancient Greek texts.
In the 19th century, the name Atreau gained recognition through the works of the French novelist and playwright Honoré de Balzac. One of his most famous characters, Atreau de Marsay, appeared in several novels and embodied the qualities associated with the name – strength, resilience, and unwavering determination.
Throughout history, several other notable figures have borne the name Atreau, including:
1. Atreau Xenophon (c. 430 BC – 354 BC), a Greek historian and philosopher.
2. Atreau Diogenes (c. 412 BC – 323 BC), a Greek philosopher and one of the founders of Cynic philosophy.
3. Atreau Ptolemy (c. 90 AD – 168 AD), a renowned Greek astronomer, mathematician, and geographer.
4. Atreau Chrysoloras (c. 1355 – 1415), a Byzantine scholar and philosopher who played a significant role in the revival of Greek studies in the Renaissance.
5. Atreau Casaubon (1559 – 1614), a French classical scholar and philologist known for his contributions to the study of ancient texts.
People
Atreau + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Atreau as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with A
Other first names starting with A with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Atreau: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Atreau?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Atreau going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 68,550,868 US residents.
Is Atreau a common name?
We classify Atreau as "Very Rare". It ranks above 18.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Atreau most popular?
The single biggest year for Atreau was 2002, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Atreau is about 24 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Atreau in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Atreau a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Atreau in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Atreau still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Atreau in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Atreau can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people have Atreau as a first name?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.