Toivo
A male name of Finnish origin meaning "hope" or "wish".
Name Census estimates that about 12 living Americans carry the first name Toivo. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Toivo today is around 104 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Toivo births was 1918 (57 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Toivo. 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 Toivo is about 104 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Toivos were born before 1932.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Toivo. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
12
~ 1 in 28,562,862 Americans
Peak year
1918
57 babies that year
Average age
104
years old
1930 SSA rank
#4,500
Tracked since 1906
Census
Toivo in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 114 people with the first name Toivo, which placed it at #51,355 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#51,355
National first-name rank
People counted
114
114 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.0
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
98.2% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Toivo
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Toivo is White at 98.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.8%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Toivo described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Toivo at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White98.2% · 112
- Hispanic or Latino1.8% · 2
Popularity
Toivo: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Toivo from the 1900s through to the 1930s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1910s, with 321 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1910s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Toivo 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 Toivo during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Toivos live
The SSA's state-level files cover 4 states and territories. Michigan, Minnesota, Massachusetts recorded the most babies named Toivo, while Wisconsin, Massachusetts, Minnesota recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 81 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Toivo
The given name Toivo originates from the Finnish language and culture. It is derived from the Finnish word "toivo," which means "hope." The name's roots can be traced back to the earliest records of the Finnish language, which emerged around the 6th century AD.
Toivo is a relatively common name in Finland, where it has been used for centuries. The name's meaning and association with hope have made it a popular choice among Finnish families, reflecting their aspirations and optimism for their children's futures.
While the name Toivo does not appear in any major ancient texts or religious scriptures, it has been documented in various historical records and literature from Finland and other Nordic countries. The earliest known recorded use of the name dates back to the late 16th century.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Toivo. One of the most famous was Toivo Antikainen (1898-1953), a Finnish long-distance runner who won the gold medal in the 10,000 meters event at the 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris.
Another prominent figure was Toivo Kuula (1883-1918), a Finnish composer and conductor who is considered one of the pioneers of Finnish national romantic music. His compositions, such as "Kuutamolla" and "Merenmies," have become beloved classics in Finland.
In the realm of politics, Toivo Koivisto (1923-2013) was a notable figure who served as the President of Finland from 1982 to 1994. He played a crucial role in strengthening Finland's international relations and navigating the country through the challenging times of the Cold War era.
Toivo Niskanen (1936-2021) was a renowned Finnish cross-country skier who won eight Olympic medals, including four gold medals, between 1964 and 1976. He is considered one of the greatest cross-country skiers in Finnish history.
Another notable individual with the name Toivo is Toivo Loikkanen (1936-2022), a Finnish artist and sculptor known for his monumental public artworks and sculptures. His works can be found in various cities across Finland and internationally.
While these are just a few examples, the name Toivo has been carried by many other individuals throughout history, reflecting its enduring popularity and cultural significance within the Finnish tradition.
People
Toivo + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Toivo 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
Toivo: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Toivo?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 12 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Toivo 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 Toivo a common name?
We classify Toivo 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, 535 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Toivo most popular?
The single biggest year for Toivo was 1918, when 57 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Toivo is about 104 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Toivo in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 114 people with the name Toivo, or 0.04 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #51,355 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Toivo in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Toivo?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Toivo appears almost entirely male. Of the 123 people counted with this name, 100.0% were male and only a very small share were female. The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Toivo?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Toivo is White at 98.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.8%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Toivo most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Toivo in the 2020 Census, accounting for 98.2% (112 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
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 Toivo in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Toivo a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Toivo 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 Toivo still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Toivo 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 Toivo 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.
How many people share the name Toivo?
Want to know how many people have the name Toivo? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.