Thurlo
A male name of English origin meaning "farm village".
Name Census estimates that about 2 living Americans carry the first name Thurlo. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Thurlo today is around 76 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Thurlo births was 1917 (7 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Thurlo. 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 Thurlo is about 76 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Thurlos were born before 1960.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Thurlo. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
2
~ 1 in 171,377,169 Americans
Peak year
1917
7 babies that year
Average age
76
years old
1931 SSA rank
#4,273
Tracked since 1916
Popularity
Thurlo: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Thurlo from the 1910s through to the 1930s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 16 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1920s peak, Thurlo remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Thurlo 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 Thurlo 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 Thurlo
The name Thurlo is a relatively rare given name with origins that can be traced back to the early medieval period in England. It is believed to have emerged as a variant spelling of the Old English name Thurweald, which was composed of the elements "thur" meaning "giant" or "powerful" and "weald" meaning "ruler" or "controller."
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Thurlo was Thurlo of Evesham, a Benedictine monk who lived in the late 11th century and served as the Prior of Evesham Abbey in Worcestershire, England. Thurlo is mentioned in several historical records and chronicles from that era, indicating that the name was in use among the Anglo-Saxon nobility and religious orders.
In the 13th century, a Thurlo de Morville is recorded as a landowner in Northamptonshire, England. This suggests that the name had spread beyond its initial religious connotations and was being adopted by the gentry and landed classes of the time.
Fast-forwarding to the 16th century, a notable figure named Thurlo Hayward is recorded as a merchant and ship owner based in Bristol, England. Hayward is believed to have been involved in the early exploration and trade expeditions to the Americas, further spreading the name's reach.
Another historically significant individual with the name Thurlo was Sir Thurlo Massingberd, an English landowner and Member of Parliament who lived in the 17th century. He represented the borough of Callington in the House of Commons during the reign of Charles II.
In the 19th century, Thurlo Hill was an English architect and surveyor who gained recognition for his work on several public buildings and infrastructure projects in London and the surrounding areas. He was born in 1818 and passed away in 1889.
While the name Thurlo has remained relatively uncommon throughout history, these examples demonstrate its use across various social classes and professions in England, from religious figures to merchants, landowners, politicians, and architects. The name's origins and meaning evoke a sense of strength, power, and leadership, which may have contributed to its appeal among certain individuals and families.
People
Thurlo + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Thurlo 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
Thurlo: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Thurlo?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 2 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Thurlo 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 171,377,169 US residents.
Is Thurlo a common name?
We classify Thurlo as "Very Rare". It ranks above 4.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 39 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Thurlo most popular?
The single biggest year for Thurlo was 1917, when 7 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Thurlo is about 76 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 Thurlo in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Thurlo a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Thurlo 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 Thurlo still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Thurlo 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 Thurlo 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 Thurlo as a first name?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.