Atreu
A masculine name of Germanic origin meaning "ruler of nobility" or "noble ruler".
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Atreu. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Atreu today is around 15 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Atreu births was 2011 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Atreu. 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 Atreu. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
2011
5 babies that year
Average age
15
years old
2011 SSA rank
#12,449
Tracked since 2011
Popularity
Atreu: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Atreu 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 Atreu during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Atreu
The name Atreu has its origins in ancient Greek mythology and literature. It is derived from the Greek name Atreus, which was borne by a character in Greek tragedy and myth. Atreus was a son of Pelops and Hippodamia, and the father of Agamemnon and Menelaus, who were prominent figures in the Trojan War.
The name Atreus is believed to have originated from the Greek word "atreus," which means "fearless" or "untiring." This suggests that the name was associated with qualities of courage, perseverance, and resilience in ancient Greek culture.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Atreus can be found in Homer's Iliad, which dates back to around the 8th century BCE. In this epic poem, Atreus is mentioned as the father of Agamemnon and Menelaus, the leaders of the Achaean forces in the Trojan War.
Another significant historical reference to the name Atreus is in the ancient Greek tragedy "Atreus" by Euripides, which was written in the 5th century BCE. This play explored the tragic story of Atreus and his brother Thyestes, who were engaged in a bitter rivalry that ultimately led to a cycle of violence and revenge.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Atreu or its variants:
1. Atreu I (c. 1240 – c. 1180 BCE), a legendary king of Mycenae in ancient Greek mythology, who was a son of Pelops and Hippodamia.
2. Atreu II (c. 1190 – c. 1150 BCE), a legendary king of Mycenae and the son of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra, who ruled after the Trojan War.
3. Atreu of Gortyn (c. 6th century BCE), a Greek philosopher and mathematician from the ancient city of Gortyn on the island of Crete.
4. Atreu of Alexandria (c. 3rd century BCE), a Greek astronomer and mathematician who lived and worked in Alexandria, Egypt.
5. Atreu Petri (1622 – 1692), a Swedish philosopher, theologian, and educator who was a professor at Uppsala University and a prominent figure in the Swedish Lutheran Church.
While the name Atreu is not as commonly used today, it remains a significant part of ancient Greek history and mythology, reflecting the enduring legacy of the Greek culture and its influence on literature, philosophy, and the arts.
People
Atreu + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Atreu 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
Atreu: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Atreu?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Atreu 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 Atreu a common name?
We classify Atreu 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 Atreu most popular?
The single biggest year for Atreu was 2011, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Atreu is about 15 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 Atreu in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Atreu a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Atreu 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 Atreu still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Atreu 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 Atreu 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 Americans are named Atreu?
See how many people have the name Atreu on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.