Tertius
Of Latin origin, meaning "the third" or referring to the third-born.
Name Census estimates that about 6 living Americans carry the first name Tertius. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Tertius today is around 38 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Tertius births was 1987 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Tertius. 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 Tertius. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
6
~ 1 in 57,125,723 Americans
Peak year
1987
6 babies that year
Average age
38
years old
1987 SSA rank
#6,866
Tracked since 1987
Popularity
Tertius: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Tertius 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 Tertius 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 | 6 | 0 | 6 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Tertius
The name Tertius is derived from the Latin language and has its origins in ancient Rome. It is a masculine given name that stems from the Latin word "tertius," which means "third." This suggests that the name was likely given to the third-born son in a family.
During the Roman era, the name Tertius was relatively common and can be found in various historical records and texts from that time period. One notable individual who bore this name was Tertius, a Roman Christian mentioned in the Bible's Book of Romans. He is referred to as a scribe who assisted the Apostle Paul in writing his Epistle to the Romans.
In the early centuries of Christianity, the name Tertius was occasionally given to Christian children, as it was seen as a connection to the biblical figure. However, its usage declined significantly after the fall of the Roman Empire and throughout the Middle Ages.
One of the earliest recorded individuals named Tertius was Tertius Iulianus, a Roman jurist who lived in the late 2nd century AD. He is known for his contributions to Roman law and his work on the Digest, a compilation of legal texts commissioned by the Byzantine Emperor Justinian I.
Another notable figure with this name was Tertius Sempronius Gracchus, a Roman politician and reformer who lived in the 2nd century BC. He was a member of the influential Gracchi family and played a significant role in the political struggles of the late Roman Republic.
In the 16th century, the name Tertius resurfaced briefly during the Renaissance period, when there was a renewed interest in classical Latin names. One individual who bore this name was Tertius Bundus, an Italian humanist and poet who lived in the early 16th century and was known for his Latin poetry.
Throughout history, the name Tertius has been relatively uncommon, with only a handful of notable individuals bearing this moniker. However, its Latin origins and connection to ancient Rome have made it a part of the rich tapestry of names from the classical era.
People
Tertius + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Tertius 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
Tertius: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Tertius?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 6 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Tertius 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 57,125,723 US residents.
Is Tertius a common name?
We classify Tertius as "Very Rare". It ranks above 22.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 6 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Tertius most popular?
The single biggest year for Tertius was 1987, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Tertius is about 38 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 Tertius in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Tertius a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Tertius 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 Tertius still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Tertius 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 Tertius 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 Tertius?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.