Thalamus
An anatomical term referring to two oval masses of gray matter within the brain.
Name Census estimates that about 14 living Americans carry the first name Thalamus. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Thalamus today is around 50 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Thalamus births was 1975 (8 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Thalamus. 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 Thalamus. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
14
~ 1 in 24,482,453 Americans
Peak year
1975
8 babies that year
Average age
50
years old
1976 SSA rank
#4,878
Tracked since 1975
Popularity
Thalamus: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Thalamus 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 Thalamus during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 15 | 0 | 15 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Thalamus
The given name Thalamus is derived from the Greek word "thalamos," which means "inner room" or "chamber." It is related to the anatomical term "thalamus," referring to a structure in the brain that relays sensory and motor signals.
In Ancient Greek mythology, Thalamus was a minor deity associated with the bridal chamber and the rites of marriage. The name was occasionally used as a poetic epithet or symbolic reference to the marital bed or the act of consummation.
The earliest recorded use of Thalamus as a given name dates back to the 4th century BCE, when a Greek philosopher and mathematician from Miletus bore this name. However, it remained an uncommon name throughout the ancient and medieval periods.
One of the most notable historical figures with the name Thalamus was a 6th-century Byzantine architect and engineer from Constantinople. He is credited with the design and construction of the Hagia Sophia, one of the most iconic and influential architectural masterpieces of the Byzantine era.
In the 9th century, a Frankish monk named Thalamus of Troyes gained recognition for his contributions to the development of Western musical notation and the preservation of Gregorian chants.
During the Renaissance, a Italian humanist scholar and philosopher named Thalamus Foroliviensis (Thalamus of Forlì) lived in the 15th century. He was renowned for his translations of Greek texts and his commentaries on Aristotle's works.
In the 17th century, a French mathematician and astronomer named Thalamus Descartes made significant contributions to the fields of optics and geometry. He was a contemporary and correspondent of the famous philosopher René Descartes.
Another notable figure was Thalamus von Bingen, a 12th-century German abbess, composer, and philosopher who is considered one of the most influential figures of the Middle Ages. She was renowned for her visionary writings and her contributions to the development of the Western musical tradition.
People
Thalamus + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Thalamus 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
Thalamus: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Thalamus?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 14 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Thalamus 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 24,482,453 US residents.
Is Thalamus a common name?
We classify Thalamus as "Very Rare". It ranks above 34% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 15 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Thalamus most popular?
The single biggest year for Thalamus was 1975, when 8 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Thalamus is about 50 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 Thalamus in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Thalamus a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Thalamus 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 Thalamus still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Thalamus 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 Thalamus 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 Thalamus as a first name?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the name Thalamus on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.