Talos
A Greek name referencing a mythological defender bronze automaton of ancient Crete.
Name Census estimates that about 12 living Americans carry the first name Talos. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Talos today is around 7 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Talos births was 2017 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Talos. 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 Talos. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
12
~ 1 in 28,562,862 Americans
Peak year
2017
6 babies that year
Average age
7
years old
2021 SSA rank
#11,962
Tracked since 2017
Popularity
Talos: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Talos from the 2010s through to the 2020s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 6 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Talos 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 Talos during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Talos
The name Talos has its origins in Greek mythology and dates back to ancient times. It is derived from the Greek word 'tálās', which means 'suffering' or 'enduring'. In Greek mythology, Talos was a giant bronze automaton tasked with guarding the island of Crete from invaders.
The earliest recorded use of the name Talos dates back to ancient Greek literature, particularly in works such as the Argonautica by Apollonius of Rhodes and the Bibliotheca by Pseudo-Apollodorus. These texts describe Talos as a powerful and formidable figure, known for his strength and ability to protect the island of Crete from harm.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Talos. One of the earliest examples is Talos of Miletus, a Greek philosopher and mathematician who lived in the 5th century BC. He is credited with developing the first known method for finding the square root of a number.
Another famous Talos was Talos of Crete, a Greek wrestler who competed in the ancient Olympic Games. He was renowned for his exceptional strength and skill, winning multiple Olympic crowns in wrestling competitions.
In the field of literature, Talos of Argos was a Greek poet who lived in the 7th century BC. He is known for his contributions to lyric poetry and is considered one of the earliest poets of ancient Greece.
During the Renaissance period, Talos Valerianos was a Greek scholar and philosopher who lived in the 15th century. He played a significant role in the revival of classical Greek studies and contributed to the spread of knowledge during the Renaissance.
In more recent times, Talos Nauri was a Greek military officer and political figure who lived in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He played a crucial role in the Greek struggle for independence and was renowned for his bravery and leadership during the Balkan Wars.
These are just a few examples of individuals who have borne the name Talos throughout history, reflecting its deep roots in Greek culture and mythology. The name has endured through the ages, carrying with it a sense of strength, endurance, and a connection to ancient Greek traditions.
People
Talos + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Talos 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
Talos: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Talos?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 12 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Talos 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 28,562,862 US residents.
Is Talos a common name?
We classify Talos as "Very Rare". It ranks above 32.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 12 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Talos most popular?
The single biggest year for Talos was 2017, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Talos is about 7 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 Talos in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Talos a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Talos 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 Talos still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Talos 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 Talos 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 are called Talos?
You can see how many Americans are named Talos on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.