Tauno
A Finnish masculine name of unknown meaning.
Name Census estimates that about 3 living Americans carry the first name Tauno. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Tauno today is around 119 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Tauno births was 1917 (25 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Tauno. 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
- • The typical person named Tauno is about 119 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Taunos were born before 1917.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Tauno. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
3
~ 1 in 114,251,446 Americans
Peak year
1917
25 babies that year
Average age
119
years old
1928 SSA rank
#4,666
Tracked since 1913
Popularity
Tauno: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Tauno from the 1910s through to the 1920s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1910s, with 106 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1910s peak, Tauno remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Tauno 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 Tauno during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Taunos live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. Michigan, Massachusetts, Minnesota recorded the most babies named Tauno, while Minnesota, Massachusetts, Michigan recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 19 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Tauno
The name Tauno has its origins in Finnish culture and language. It is derived from the Old Norse name Þórðr, which was a compound name consisting of the elements "þórr" meaning "thunder" and "arðr" meaning "brave" or "hardy". This name was brought to Finland by Swedish settlers during the Viking Age and later adopted into the Finnish language.
The name Tauno is thought to have been first recorded in written form in the 16th century, when Finland was part of the Swedish realm. It gained popularity in the 19th century as a result of the Finnish national romantic movement, which sought to revive and promote the use of traditional Finnish names.
One of the earliest known historical figures to bear the name Tauno was Tauno Nurmio (1908-1943), a Finnish long-distance runner and Olympic gold medalist. He won the 10,000 meters event at the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam.
Another notable figure was Tauno Palo (1908-1982), a Finnish writer and poet who is considered one of the leading figures in the Finnish modernist literary movement. His works explored themes of identity, loneliness, and the human condition.
In the field of music, Tauno Marttinen (1893-1957) was a Finnish composer and conductor who made significant contributions to the development of Finnish classical music in the early 20th century.
Tauno Saarela (1921-2012) was a Finnish architect and designer who played a key role in shaping the modernist architectural style that became prominent in Finland after World War II.
Tauno Luiro (1917-1991) was a Finnish actor and director who had a long and distinguished career in both film and theater. He is particularly renowned for his portrayal of complex and nuanced characters on stage.
While the name Tauno is still used in Finland today, it experienced a peak in popularity during the mid-20th century and has since declined somewhat in recent decades.
People
Tauno + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Tauno 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
Tauno: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Tauno?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 3 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Tauno 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 114,251,446 US residents.
Is Tauno a common name?
We classify Tauno as "Very Rare". It ranks above 4.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 160 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Tauno most popular?
The single biggest year for Tauno was 1917, when 25 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Tauno is about 119 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 Tauno in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Tauno a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Tauno 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 Tauno still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Tauno 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 Tauno 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 Tauno as a first name?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the name Tauno on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.