Torbjorn
A Scandinavian name of Old Norse origin meaning "Thor's bear".
Name Census estimates that about 11 living Americans carry the first name Torbjorn. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Torbjorn today is around 5 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Torbjorn births was 2021 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Torbjorn. 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 Torbjorn with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Torbjorn. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
11
~ 1 in 31,159,485 Americans
Peak year
2021
6 babies that year
Average age
5
years old
2022 SSA rank
#14,129
Tracked since 2021
Popularity
Torbjorn: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Torbjorn 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 Torbjorn during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 11 | 0 | 11 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Torbjorn
The name Torbjorn is of Old Norse origin, derived from the elements "Thor" (the name of the Norse god of thunder and lightning) and "björn" (meaning "bear"). It likely emerged during the Viking Age (793-1066 AD) and was popular among Scandinavian peoples, particularly in Norway, Sweden, and Denmark.
The name Torbjorn holds a strong connection to Norse mythology and the worship of Thor, the powerful god associated with strength, protection, and fertility. The bear, represented by the second element of the name, was a revered animal in Norse culture, symbolizing courage, strength, and endurance.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Torbjorn can be found in the Icelandic Sagas, a collection of Old Norse literature written in the 13th century. These sagas often featured characters with traditional Norse names, reflecting the cultural significance of these names during that time.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Torbjorn. One of the most famous was Torbjorn Oksekrets (c. 1140-1219), a Norwegian nobleman and one of the most influential men in Norway during the late 12th and early 13th centuries. He played a crucial role in the power struggles between the Birkebeiner and Bagler factions.
Another prominent figure was Torbjorn Longlife (c. 1160-1241), a Norwegian chieftain and skald (poet) renowned for his longevity and poetic prowess. He is believed to have lived well into his eighties, an impressive age for the time, and his poems have been preserved in the Icelandic Sagas.
In the 17th century, Torbjorn Andersson Röding (1620-1694) was a Swedish military engineer and inventor. He is credited with developing the first modern-style hand grenade, known as the "Röding Grenade," which played a significant role in the wars of the time.
In the realm of art, Torbjorn Oskar Rodhe (1858-1932) was a Swedish painter and illustrator known for his landscape and genre paintings depicting rural life in Sweden. His works are celebrated for their attention to detail and the preservation of Swedish cultural traditions.
Torbjorn Lundquist (1920-2000) was a Swedish actor and director who had a prolific career spanning over six decades. He is remembered for his roles in numerous Swedish films and television series, as well as his work as a director in both theater and film.
People
Torbjorn + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Torbjorn 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
Torbjorn: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Torbjorn?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 11 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Torbjorn 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 31,159,485 US residents.
Is Torbjorn a common name?
We classify Torbjorn as "Very Rare". It ranks above 30.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 11 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Torbjorn most popular?
The single biggest year for Torbjorn was 2021, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Torbjorn is about 5 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 Torbjorn in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Torbjorn a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Torbjorn 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 Torbjorn still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Torbjorn 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 Torbjorn 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 common is the name Torbjorn?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.