Thadeus
A masculine given name derived from a Greek name meaning "gift of God".
Name Census estimates that about 780 living Americans carry the first name Thadeus. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Thadeus today is around 36 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Thadeus births was 1918 (27 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Thadeus. 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.
People living today
780
~ 1 in 439,429 Americans
Peak year
1918
27 babies that year
Average age
36
years old
2024 SSA rank
#12,156
Tracked since 1912
Popularity
Thadeus: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Thadeus from the 1910s through to the 2020s, spanning 12 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 173 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Thadeus 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 Thadeus during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Thadeus' live
The SSA's state-level files cover 4 states and territories. Pennsylvania, New York, Illinois recorded the most babies named Thadeus, while Wisconsin, Illinois, New York recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 7 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Thadeus
The name Thadeus has its origins in the ancient Greek language, where it was derived from the word "Thadhaios," meaning "courageous one" or "gift of God." This name gained popularity during the early Christian era, particularly in the Mediterranean region.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Thadeus can be found in the New Testament of the Bible, where it refers to one of the twelve apostles, also known as Jude the Apostle. This association with a biblical figure contributed to the name's widespread use among early Christian communities.
As Christianity spread throughout Europe, the name Thadeus underwent various spelling variations, including Thaddeus, Taddeo, and Tadeo. These variations were influenced by the linguistic nuances of different regions, such as Latin, Italian, and Spanish.
Notable historical figures who bore the name Thadeus include Thadeus of Suessa (1070-1135), an Italian philosopher and theologian who made significant contributions to the field of metaphysics. Another prominent individual was Thadeus Kosciuszko (1746-1817), a Polish military leader and national hero who played a crucial role in the American Revolutionary War and the Polish uprising against Russian rule.
In the realm of literature, Thadeus was the name of a character in the epic poem "Pan Tadeusz" by Adam Mickiewicz (1798-1855), a celebrated Polish writer and poet. This literary work became a national symbol of Polish culture and identity.
Other notable individuals named Thadeus include Thadeus Reichstein (1897-1996), a Swiss chemist who received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1950 for his work on cortisone and other adrenal hormone compounds. Thadeus Zielinski (1859-1944) was a Polish classical scholar and academic known for his contributions to the study of ancient Greek and Roman literature.
Throughout history, the name Thadeus has been associated with individuals known for their courage, faith, and intellectual pursuits. While its popularity has fluctuated over time, it remains a name with a rich cultural heritage and a connection to various historical figures and literary works.
People
Thadeus + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Thadeus 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
Thadeus: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Thadeus?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 780 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Thadeus 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 439,429 US residents.
Is Thadeus a common name?
We classify Thadeus as "Very Rare". It ranks above 88.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,117 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Thadeus most popular?
The single biggest year for Thadeus was 1918, when 27 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Thadeus is about 36 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Thadeus a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Thadeus 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.
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.