Tico
A diminutive Spanish name meaning "little one" or "young one".
Name Census estimates that about 76 living Americans carry the first name Tico. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Tico today is around 46 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Tico births was 1977 (13 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Tico. 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 Tico. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
76
~ 1 in 4,509,926 Americans
Peak year
1977
13 babies that year
Average age
46
years old
1996 SSA rank
#8,904
Tracked since 1972
Popularity
Tico: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Tico from the 1970s through to the 1990s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 48 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1970s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Tico 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 Tico 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 Tico
The name Tico has its origins in Spanish and is a diminutive form of the name Francisco. It was derived from the Italian name Francesco, which itself comes from the Latin name Franciscus, meaning "Frenchman" or "free man." The name gained popularity in Spain and its territories during the Middle Ages.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Tico can be found in the 16th century. Tico Brahe, a Danish astronomer born in 1546, was known for his accurate celestial observations and contributions to the scientific revolution. His work paved the way for later astronomers like Galileo Galilei and Johannes Kepler.
In the 17th century, Tico Polo, an Italian merchant and explorer, is believed to have been one of the first Europeans to travel the Silk Road and reach China. His accounts of his travels, documented in the book "Il Milione," introduced Europeans to the wonders of the Far East and sparked a renewed interest in exploration.
The 18th century saw the rise of Tico Falconi, an Italian painter and architect who played a significant role in the Baroque and Rococo art movements. His masterpieces, such as the frescoes in the Church of Sant'Ignazio in Rome, are celebrated for their intricate details and vibrant colors.
In the 19th century, Tico Carrera, a Chilean military officer and politician, was a key figure in the struggle for independence from Spain. He is remembered for his leadership in the Battle of Maipú and his efforts to establish a stable government in the newly formed nation.
Moving into the 20th century, Tico Torres, the drummer for the iconic rock band Bon Jovi, was born in 1953. His powerful and precise drumming has been a driving force behind the band's success, and he is widely regarded as one of the greatest drummers in rock music history.
Notable bearers
Famous people named Tico
People
Tico + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Tico 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
Tico: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Tico?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 76 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Tico 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 4,509,926 US residents.
Is Tico a common name?
We classify Tico as "Very Rare". It ranks above 60.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 81 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Tico most popular?
The single biggest year for Tico was 1977, when 13 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Tico is about 46 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Tico a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Tico 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.
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.