Thorbjorn
A masculine Scandinavian name derived from "Thorr" meaning "thunder" and "bjorn" meaning "bear".
Name Census estimates that about 10 living Americans carry the first name Thorbjorn. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Thorbjorn today is around 8 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Thorbjorn births was 2017 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Thorbjorn. 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 Thorbjorn with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Thorbjorn. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
10
~ 1 in 34,275,434 Americans
Peak year
2017
5 babies that year
Average age
8
years old
2019 SSA rank
#13,928
Tracked since 2017
Popularity
Thorbjorn: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Thorbjorn 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 Thorbjorn during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 10 | 0 | 10 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Thorbjorn
The name Thorbjorn has its origins in Old Norse, the language spoken by the Norse people of Scandinavia during the Viking Age. It is a compound name formed from the elements "Thor," the name of the Norse god of thunder, and "bjorn," meaning bear. Thus, the name Thorbjorn can be interpreted as "Thor's bear" or "the bear dedicated to Thor."
This name's roots trace back to the ancient Norse pantheon and the reverence for Thor, one of the most prominent deities in Norse mythology. As a compound name, it reflects the Norse tradition of incorporating the names of gods or natural elements into personal names, often as a means of seeking divine protection or expressing a connection to the natural world.
In the Viking Age, from the late 8th to the late 11th century, names like Thorbjorn were prevalent among the Norse peoples, particularly in Scandinavia and the regions they settled, such as Iceland, Greenland, and parts of the British Isles. The earliest recorded instances of the name Thorbjorn can be found in various Norse sagas and historical accounts from this period.
One of the most notable historical figures bearing the name Thorbjorn was Thorbjorn Hornklofi, a legendary Viking chieftain from Iceland who lived in the late 9th century. He is mentioned in several Icelandic sagas, including the Eyrbyggja saga, which recounts his feud with another chieftain named Snorri.
Another significant figure was Thorbjorn Ongull, a Viking explorer and settler who is credited with being one of the first Europeans to set foot in North America, predating even the voyages of Leif Erikson. Thorbjorn Ongull is said to have reached the coast of Newfoundland around the year 1000 CE, though his exploits are shrouded in legend.
In the 12th century, a Norwegian chieftain named Thorbjorn Skakki played a pivotal role in the civil wars that engulfed Norway during that period. He was a staunch supporter of King Inge I and fought against the forces of King Harald Gille in several battles.
During the Middle Ages, the name Thorbjorn continued to be used in Scandinavia, particularly in Iceland, where it was borne by several prominent figures. One such individual was Thorbjorn Jonsson (1329-1389), a wealthy Icelandic landowner and chieftain who was involved in various disputes over land rights and power struggles.
In more recent times, the Swedish poet and novelist Thorbjorn Egner (1912-1990) gained widespread recognition for his children's books, including the popular series featuring the characters Karius and Baktus. His works have been translated into numerous languages and have left a lasting impact on Scandinavian literature for young readers.
People
Thorbjorn + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Thorbjorn 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
Thorbjorn: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Thorbjorn?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 10 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Thorbjorn 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 34,275,434 US residents.
Is Thorbjorn a common name?
We classify Thorbjorn as "Very Rare". It ranks above 28.5% 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 Thorbjorn most popular?
The single biggest year for Thorbjorn was 2017, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Thorbjorn is about 8 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 Thorbjorn in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Thorbjorn a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Thorbjorn 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 Thorbjorn still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Thorbjorn 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 Thorbjorn 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 Americans are named Thorbjorn?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.