Theobald
A Germanic name meaning "bold people" or "popular ruler".
Name Census estimates that about 0 living Americans carry the first name Theobald. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Theobald today is around 0 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Theobald births was 1916 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Theobald. 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 Theobald. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
0
~ - Americans
Peak year
1916
5 babies that year
Average age
-
1917 SSA rank
#4,518
Tracked since 1916
Popularity
Theobald: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Theobald 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 Theobald during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1910s | 10 | 0 | 10 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Theobald
The given name Theobald has its origins in the Germanic languages, derived from the elements "theud" meaning "people" and "bald" meaning "bold" or "brave". It thus signifies someone who is bold or courageous among the people. The name dates back to the early medieval period and was particularly popular in German-speaking regions of Europe.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Theobald is found in the 7th century, when a Frankish nobleman named Theobald served as a courtier under the Merovingian king Dagobert I. The name gained wider recognition during the Carolingian dynasty, with several counts and dukes bearing the name Theobald.
In the 11th century, Theobald III, Count of Blois and Chartres (1019-1089), was a prominent figure in the First Crusade and played a significant role in the siege of Antioch. Another notable bearer of the name was Theobald I, Count of Champagne (1090-1152), who participated in the Second Crusade and served as a regent of the Kingdom of Jerusalem.
During the 12th century, Theobald IV, Count of Blois (1137-1191), was a prominent figure in the Third Crusade and a close ally of King Richard the Lionheart. Theobald V, Count of Blois (1165-1218), was also a participant in the Fourth Crusade and played a role in the sacking of Constantinople in 1204.
In the realm of literature, the name Theobald appears in Chaucer's "Canterbury Tales" as the name of a friar who accompanies the pilgrims on their journey. Theobald is also the name of a character in Shakespeare's play "The Taming of the Shrew".
Other notable individuals named Theobald include Theobald of Bec (1035-1161), an English theologian and Archbishop of Canterbury, and Theobald Wolfe Tone (1763-1798), a leading figure in the Irish Republican movement and the founder of the United Irishmen society.
People
Theobald + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Theobald 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
Theobald: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Theobald?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 0 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Theobald 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 - US residents.
Is Theobald a common name?
We classify Theobald as "Very Rare". It ranks above 2.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 10 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Theobald most popular?
The single biggest year for Theobald was 1916, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Theobald is about 0 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 Theobald in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Theobald a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Theobald 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 Theobald still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Theobald 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 Theobald 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 Theobald as a first name?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the name Theobald on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.