Thorben
A masculine Germanic name derived from Thor, the Norse god of thunder.
Name Census estimates that about 12 living Americans carry the first name Thorben. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Thorben today is around 6 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Thorben births was 2019 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Thorben. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Thorben with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Thorben. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
12
~ 1 in 28,562,862 Americans
Peak year
2019
6 babies that year
Average age
6
years old
2021 SSA rank
#11,981
Tracked since 2019
Popularity
Thorben: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Thorben from the 2010s through to the 2020s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 6 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Thorben 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 Thorben 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 Thorben
The name Thorben is of Old Norse origin, tracing its roots back to the Viking Age. It is a compound name formed by combining the Old Norse elements "Þórr" and "björn." The first part, "Þórr," refers to the mighty god of thunder and lightning in Norse mythology, while "björn" means "bear." Together, the name Thorben can be interpreted as "Thor's bear" or "the bear dedicated to Thor."
This name gained prominence in the regions where the Norse settlers and Vikings established their presence, particularly in Scandinavia, parts of northern Germany, and other areas influenced by Norse culture. Its earliest recorded use dates back to the 9th or 10th century, though the exact origins remain uncertain.
Throughout history, the name Thorben has been associated with various notable figures. One of the earliest recorded examples is Thorben Olafsson, a Viking chieftain and warrior who lived in the late 10th century and played a significant role in the Christianization of Norway.
In the 12th century, Thorben Ketilsson was a prominent Icelandic lawspeaker and chieftain known for his expertise in Norse law and his role in preserving the Icelandic Commonwealth.
During the Middle Ages, Thorben Sveinsson, a Norwegian nobleman and landowner, was mentioned in several historical records for his involvement in regional conflicts and land disputes.
In the 15th century, Thorben Eriksen, a Danish sailor and explorer, gained recognition for his voyages to Greenland and the Arctic regions, contributing to the expansion of geographical knowledge at the time.
More recently, Thorben Albrecht, a German mathematician born in 1887, made significant contributions to the fields of topology and set theory, leaving a lasting impact on modern mathematics.
These are just a few examples of the historical figures who bore the name Thorben. While its usage has been most prominent in Scandinavian and Germanic regions, the name has also found its way into other cultures and languages over time, reflecting the far-reaching influence of Norse heritage.
People
Thorben + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Thorben 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
Thorben: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Thorben?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 12 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Thorben 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 28,562,862 US residents.
Is Thorben a common name?
We classify Thorben as "Very Rare". It ranks above 32.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 12 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Thorben most popular?
The single biggest year for Thorben was 2019, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Thorben is about 6 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 Thorben in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Thorben a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Thorben 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 Thorben still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Thorben 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 Thorben 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 Thorben as a first name?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.