Thoralf
A masculine name of Old Norse origin meaning "Thor's wolf".
Name Census estimates that about 0 living Americans carry the first name Thoralf. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Thoralf today is around 0 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Thoralf births was 1918 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Thoralf. 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 Thoralf. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
0
~ - Americans
Peak year
1918
5 babies that year
Average age
-
1918 SSA rank
#4,744
Tracked since 1918
Popularity
Thoralf: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Thoralf 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 Thoralf 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 | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Thoralf
Thoralf is a masculine given name of Old Norse origin, derived from the elements "þórr" meaning "thunder" and "álfr" meaning "elf". It dates back to the Viking Age in Scandinavia, particularly in Norway, Sweden, and Denmark, where it was commonly used among the Norse peoples.
The name Thoralf is believed to have originated around the 8th or 9th century AD, during the height of the Viking era. It reflects the influence of Norse mythology, with the element "þórr" referring to the powerful god of thunder, Thor, who was widely venerated by the Vikings.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Thoralf can be found in the Icelandic Sagas, a collection of epic tales written in the 13th and 14th centuries. These stories often featured characters with traditional Norse names, including Thoralf.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Thoralf. One such person was Thoralf of Rimbert, a Norwegian chieftain who lived in the 9th century and played a significant role in the conversion of the Vikings to Christianity. Another was Thoralf the Vain, a Norwegian chieftain from the 11th century, known for his arrogance and involvement in various conflicts.
In the 12th century, Thoralf Skolmsson was a powerful Norwegian nobleman and landowner, who held significant influence in the region of Trøndelag. Around the same time, Thoralf Högnason was a respected lawspeaker in Iceland, responsible for reciting and preserving the country's laws and traditions.
In more recent centuries, Thoralf Rafto, a Norwegian historian and human rights activist who lived from 1920 to 1986, gained recognition for his work in promoting democracy and defending human rights around the world.
While the name Thoralf has its roots in the Viking Age and Norse culture, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly in areas with Scandinavian influence or communities. However, it remains a relatively uncommon name in modern times, adding to its historical and cultural significance.
People
Thoralf + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Thoralf 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
Thoralf: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Thoralf?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 0 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Thoralf 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 Thoralf a common name?
We classify Thoralf 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, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Thoralf most popular?
The single biggest year for Thoralf was 1918, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Thoralf 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 Thoralf in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Thoralf a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Thoralf 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 Thoralf still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Thoralf 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 Thoralf 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 the name Thoralf?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.