Templeton
From an Old English place name meaning "town of the man named Tempill".
Name Census estimates that about 11 living Americans carry the first name Templeton. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Templeton today is around 36 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Templeton births was 1989 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Templeton. 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 Templeton. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
11
~ 1 in 31,159,485 Americans
Peak year
1989
6 babies that year
Average age
36
years old
1989 SSA rank
#7,811
Tracked since 1988
Popularity
Templeton: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Templeton 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 Templeton during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 11 | 0 | 11 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Templeton
The name Templeton has its origins in the Old English language, derived from the words "tempel" and "tun," meaning "temple" and "town" or "settlement," respectively. It likely originated as a locational surname, referring to individuals who lived near a temple or in a town with a significant religious structure.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Templeton can be traced back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as a place name in various counties in England, such as Yorkshire and Lincolnshire. This suggests that the name was already in use during the Norman conquest of England in the 11th century.
In the Middle Ages, the name Templeton was not uncommon among the English nobility and gentry. One notable figure bearing this name was Sir William Templeton (c. 1290-1360), a knight and landowner from Nottinghamshire, who fought in the Scottish Wars of Independence alongside King Edward III.
During the Renaissance period, the name Templeton gained further prominence. Sir Thomas Templeton (c. 1515-1587) was an English politician and Member of Parliament during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. He was known for his support of the Protestant Reformation and his opposition to the Catholic Church.
In the 17th century, a notable bearer of the name was Reverend John Templeton (1622-1689), an English Puritan minister and author who wrote several influential theological works, including "The Doctrine of Repentance" and "The Covenant of Grace."
Moving into the 18th century, James Templeton (1738-1805) was a Scottish entrepreneur and businessman who founded the famous Templeton Carpet Factory in Glasgow, which played a significant role in the industrial revolution and the growth of the textile industry in Scotland.
Another notable figure with the name Templeton was Sir Charles Templeton (1767-1849), a British naval officer who served during the Napoleonic Wars and was awarded the prestigious Order of the Bath for his military service.
As the name Templeton spread beyond its English roots, it also gained recognition in other parts of the world. One example is John Templeton (1912-2008), an American-born British investor, philanthropist, and founder of the Templeton Growth Fund, who was a pioneer in the field of global investing.
These are just a few examples of the many individuals throughout history who have borne the name Templeton, showcasing its rich heritage and diverse cultural significance across different eras and regions.
People
Templeton + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Templeton 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
Templeton: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Templeton?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 11 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Templeton 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 31,159,485 US residents.
Is Templeton a common name?
We classify Templeton as "Very Rare". It ranks above 30.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 11 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Templeton most popular?
The single biggest year for Templeton was 1989, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Templeton is about 36 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 Templeton in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Templeton a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Templeton 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 Templeton still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Templeton 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 Templeton 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 named Templeton?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.