Thaddaus
A Greek name derived from Aramaic meaning "courageous heart" or "brave."
Name Census estimates that about 10 living Americans carry the first name Thaddaus. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Thaddaus today is around 44 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Thaddaus births was 1988 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Thaddaus. 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 Thaddaus. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
10
~ 1 in 34,275,434 Americans
Peak year
1988
6 babies that year
Average age
44
years old
1988 SSA rank
#7,172
Tracked since 1979
Popularity
Thaddaus: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Thaddaus from the 1970s through to the 1980s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, 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
Thaddaus 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 Thaddaus 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 Thaddaus
The name Thaddaus has its origins rooted in the ancient Aramaic language, which was widely spoken in the Middle East during the first century AD. It is derived from the Aramaic word "Taddai," meaning "courageous one" or "bold." The name is closely associated with one of the twelve apostles of Jesus Christ, known as Thaddaeus or Jude the Apostle.
In the New Testament, Thaddaeus is mentioned as one of the disciples who traveled with Jesus and spread his teachings. The Gospel of Matthew refers to him as "Thaddaeus," while the Gospel of Mark and Luke call him "Thaddaeus" or "Judas, not Iscariot." His feast day is celebrated on October 28th in the Roman Catholic Church.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Thaddaus was Thaddaus of Edessa, a Syrian Christian philosopher and theologian who lived in the late 4th century AD. He is best known for his work "The Book of Life," which explored the concept of human nature and the soul.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Thaddaus. Thaddaus Haenke (1761-1817) was a Czech botanist and explorer who participated in the Spanish scientific expedition to South America in the late 18th century. Thaddaus Ropelewski (1712-1778) was a Polish composer and organist who made significant contributions to the development of Polish classical music.
Another prominent Thaddaus was Thaddaus Lowitz (1757-1804), a German chemist and pharmacist who conducted groundbreaking research on the properties of platinum and discovered the element ruthenium. Thaddaus Siverts (1784-1859) was a Swedish physician and botanist who made important contributions to the study of Scandinavian flora.
Finally, Thaddaus Schrogl (1723-1804) was a German Benedictine monk and mathematician who is recognized for his work on celestial mechanics and the theory of planetary motion.
People
Thaddaus + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Thaddaus 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
Thaddaus: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Thaddaus?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 10 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Thaddaus 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 34,275,434 US residents.
Is Thaddaus a common name?
We classify Thaddaus as "Very Rare". It ranks above 28.5% 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 Thaddaus most popular?
The single biggest year for Thaddaus was 1988, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Thaddaus is about 44 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 Thaddaus in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Thaddaus a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Thaddaus 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 Thaddaus still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Thaddaus 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 Thaddaus 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 Americans are named Thaddaus?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.