Thelton
Of Old English origin meaning "the high town."
Name Census estimates that about 33 living Americans carry the first name Thelton. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Thelton today is around 77 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Thelton births was 1926 (7 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Thelton. 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
- • The typical person named Thelton is about 77 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Theltons were born before 1959.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Thelton. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
33
~ 1 in 10,386,495 Americans
Peak year
1926
7 babies that year
Average age
77
years old
1963 SSA rank
#4,574
Tracked since 1913
Popularity
Thelton: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Thelton from the 1910s through to the 1960s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1930s, with 24 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1930s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Thelton 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 Thelton 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 Thelton
The given name Thelton is an English name that emerged in the late 19th century. It is believed to have originated from a combination of the Greek name Thellos, meaning "nipple," and the Old English suffix "-ton," which denoted a town or settlement. This unusual blend of Greek and Old English elements suggests that the name was likely coined during a period when there was a renewed interest in reviving and combining elements from classical languages.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Thelton can be found in the 1891 book "The Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames" by Charles Wareing Endell Bardsley. The author notes that the name was relatively uncommon at the time but was present in certain parts of England.
Throughout history, there have been a few notable individuals who bore the name Thelton. One of the earliest was Thelton Beresford (1836-1911), a British politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Derbyshire from 1885 to 1892. Another was Thelton Angell (1865-1937), an American businessman and philanthropist who founded the Angell Memorial Animal Hospital in Boston, one of the oldest animal hospitals in the United States.
In the 20th century, Thelton Eugene Henderson (1933-2022) was a prominent American jurist who served as a United States District Judge for the Northern District of California from 1980 to 1998. He was known for his rulings on civil rights and prison reform cases.
Another notable bearer of the name was Thelton Fredrick Coley (1924-2012), an American educator and civil rights activist who served as the president of Fort Valley State University in Georgia from 1978 to 1989. He played a significant role in desegregating higher education in the state.
Finally, Thelton Leroy Brooks (1920-2007) was an American politician who served as a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives from Texas from 1953 to 1967. He was active in promoting civil rights legislation during his time in Congress.
While not a common name, Thelton has left its mark in various fields throughout history, from politics and law to education and civil rights activism. Its unique blend of Greek and Old English elements has made it a distinctive and memorable moniker.
People
Thelton + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Thelton 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
Thelton: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Thelton?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 33 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Thelton 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 10,386,495 US residents.
Is Thelton a common name?
We classify Thelton as "Very Rare". It ranks above 48% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 102 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Thelton most popular?
The single biggest year for Thelton was 1926, when 7 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Thelton is about 77 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 Thelton in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Thelton a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Thelton 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 Thelton still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Thelton 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 Thelton 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 Thelton?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.