Torben
Of Scandinavian origin, meaning "Thor's bear" or "thunder bear".
Name Census estimates that about 391 living Americans carry the first name Torben. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Torben today is around 13 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Torben births was 2022 (33 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Torben. 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.
People living today
391
~ 1 in 876,610 Americans
Peak year
2022
33 babies that year
Average age
13
years old
2024 SSA rank
#4,539
Tracked since 1968
Popularity
Torben: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Torben from the 1960s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 160 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
Torben 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 Torben during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Torbens live
Origin
Meaning and history of Torben
The name Torben is of Danish and Norwegian origin, derived from the Old Norse name Þórbjǫrn, which means "Thor's bear." Thor was the Norse god of thunder, and the bear was a revered animal in Norse mythology, symbolizing strength and courage.
The name Torben first appeared in written records during the Viking Age, around the 9th to 11th centuries. It was a popular name among the Scandinavian peoples, particularly in Denmark and Norway, where it has remained in use throughout the centuries.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Torben can be found in the Icelandic sagas, such as the Saga of Grettir the Strong, which features a character named Torben Oxemain. These sagas were written down in the 13th and 14th centuries but recount events from the Viking Age.
In Denmark, one of the earliest notable figures with the name Torben was Torben Oxe (1501-1575), a Danish nobleman and statesman who served as the Governor of Denmark and played a significant role in the transition from Catholic to Protestant rule in the country.
Another historical figure with the name Torben was Torben Husen Bredahl (1658-1733), a Danish naval officer and shipbuilder who designed and oversaw the construction of several warships for the Danish Navy during the late 17th and early 18th centuries.
In Norway, one of the most famous individuals with the name Torben was Torben Pederssøn Bjelke (1639-1718), a Norwegian-born Danish admiral who played a crucial role in several naval battles during the Great Northern War (1700-1721) against Sweden.
Other notable individuals with the name Torben include Torben Grut (1872-1964), a Danish architect and urban planner who designed several notable buildings in Copenhagen, and Torben Meyer (1927-2016), a Danish actor and comedian known for his roles in numerous Danish films and television shows.
While the name Torben has its roots in Old Norse and Scandinavian culture, it has also gained popularity in other parts of the world, particularly in countries with strong historical ties to Denmark and Norway, such as the United States and Canada.
People
Torben + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Torben 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
Torben: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Torben?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 391 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Torben 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 876,610 US residents.
Is Torben a common name?
We classify Torben as "Very Rare". It ranks above 82.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 396 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Torben most popular?
The single biggest year for Torben was 2022, when 33 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Torben is about 13 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Torben a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Torben 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.