Thayer
One who dwells near a thicket of trees or bushes.
Name Census estimates that about 1,141 living Americans carry the first name Thayer. It is a predominantly male name (94.4% of registrations). The average person named Thayer today is around 28 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Thayer births was 2014 (52 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Thayer. 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
1.1K
~ 1 in 300,398 Americans
Peak year
2014
52 babies that year
Average age
28
years old
2024 SSA rank
#4,538
Tracked since 1912
Gender
Gender distribution for Thayer
Thayer leans heavily male at 94.4% of total registrations, but 79 girls have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Thayer as a male name
- Ranked #4,538 in 2024
- 23 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2014 (52 births)
Thayer as a female name
- Ranked #13,672 in 2018
- 7 female births in 2018
- Peak: 2003 (7 births)
Popularity
Thayer: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Thayer from the 1910s through to the 2020s, spanning 12 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 417 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2010s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Thayer 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 Thayer during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Thayers live
The SSA's state-level files cover 5 states and territories. Arkansas, Kentucky, Oklahoma recorded the most babies named Thayer, while Washington, Pennsylvania, Oklahoma recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 5 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Thayer
The name Thayer has its origins in the Old English language, where it was derived from the word "thegn," meaning "servant" or "attendant." This name was commonly used during the Anglo-Saxon period, typically referring to a class of retainers or nobility who served the king or a lord.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Thayer can be found in the Domesday Book, a significant historical record compiled in 1086 under the orders of William the Conqueror. The book mentions several individuals with the name Thayer, or variations thereof, indicating its widespread use in England during that time.
The name Thayer gained popularity during the Middle Ages, particularly among the aristocratic classes. Notable historical figures bearing this name include Thayer of Barnstaple, a prominent English merchant and ship owner who lived in the 14th century. Another notable figure was Sir Thayer Littleton, a 15th-century English judge and legal scholar who authored the renowned treatise "Littleton's Tenures."
As the name spread across Europe, it underwent various spelling variations, such as Thaire, Thaire, and Thayre. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Thayer in the Americas was Thayer Shurtleff, a Puritan settler who arrived in Massachusetts Bay Colony in the 17th century.
In the 18th century, Thayer Melville, an American merchant and diplomat, played a significant role in negotiating trade agreements between the United States and various European nations. Another notable figure from this period was Thayer Stevenson, a Scottish-American doctor and scientist who made important contributions to the field of medicine.
Moving into the 19th century, Thayer Sylvanus Thayer, an American educator and military officer, served as the superintendent of the United States Military Academy at West Point from 1817 to 1833, leaving a lasting impact on the institution's curriculum and traditions.
Throughout history, the name Thayer has been associated with individuals from diverse backgrounds, including scholars, artists, and military leaders. Some other notable figures bearing this name include Thayer Herrick, an American poet and translator in the early 20th century, and Thayer Mahan, a renowned naval strategist and historian who significantly influenced naval warfare tactics in the late 19th century.
People
Thayer + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Thayer 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
Thayer: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Thayer?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,141 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Thayer 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 300,398 US residents.
Is Thayer a common name?
We classify Thayer as "Rare". It ranks above 90.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,422 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Thayer most popular?
The single biggest year for Thayer was 2014, when 52 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Thayer is about 28 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Thayer a male name?
Yes, 94.4% of people registered as Thayer 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.