Talmadge
From an Old German word meaning "valley homestead".
Name Census estimates that about 2,363 living Americans carry the first name Talmadge. It is a predominantly male name (99.4% of registrations). The average person named Talmadge today is around 59 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Talmadge births was 1933 (173 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Talmadge. 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.
People living today
2.4K
~ 1 in 145,051 Americans
Peak year
1933
173 babies that year
Average age
59
years old
2024 SSA rank
#5,522
Tracked since 1886
Gender
Gender distribution for Talmadge
Out of the 5,662 babies given the name Talmadge since 1880, 99.4% were registered as male. The name sits firmly on the male side of the spectrum, with only a handful of female registrations across the entire dataset.
Talmadge as a male name
- Ranked #13,958 in 2024
- 5 male births in 2024
- Peak: 1933 (173 births)
Talmadge as a female name
- Ranked #5,522 in 1927
- 5 female births in 1927
- Peak: 1921 (7 births)
Popularity
Talmadge: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Talmadge from the 1880s through to the 2020s, spanning 15 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 1,163 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1920s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Talmadge 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 Talmadge during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Talmadges live
The SSA's state-level files cover 13 states and territories. Georgia, North Carolina, Alabama recorded the most babies named Talmadge, while California, Arkansas, Louisiana recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 235 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Talmadge
The given name Talmadge is an English surname that has been adopted as a first name. It is derived from the Old English words "tælman" and "dīc," meaning "boundary ditch" or "boundary dike." The name likely originated in the Middle Ages, when it was used to refer to someone who lived near a boundary ditch or dike.
In its earliest recorded usage, the name Talmadge appeared as a surname in England in the 13th century. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was John Tallemache, who was recorded in the Pipe Rolls of Hertfordshire in 1273.
The name Talmadge has been used as a first name since the late 19th century, particularly in the United States. One of the earliest recorded examples of its use as a first name is Talmadge Skillman, an American businessman born in 1844.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the first name Talmadge. One of the most famous was Talmadge Hayer Moss (1864-1957), an American jurist who served as the 49th Governor of West Virginia from 1925 to 1929.
Another prominent figure with the name was Talmadge Lovering Merrill (1854-1932), an American educator and author who served as the president of the University of Montana from 1900 to 1904.
In the field of entertainment, Talmadge Dewitt Howe (1900-1982) was an American actor and comedian who appeared in numerous films and television shows throughout the mid-20th century.
Talmadge Moody (1923-2008) was an American businessman and philanthropist who co-founded the Moody Broadcasting Network, a Christian radio and television network.
Talmadge Buchanan (1909-1983) was an American politician who served as the 37th Governor of Florida from 1955 to 1961.
People
Talmadge + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Talmadge as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with T
Other first names starting with T with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Talmadge: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Talmadge?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 2,363 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Talmadge 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 145,051 US residents.
Is Talmadge a common name?
We classify Talmadge as "Rare". It ranks above 94.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5,662 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Talmadge most popular?
The single biggest year for Talmadge was 1933, when 173 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Talmadge is about 59 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Talmadge a male name?
Yes, 99.4% of people registered as Talmadge 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.
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.