Tore
A Germanic name meaning "thunder".
Name Census estimates that about 86 living Americans carry the first name Tore. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 88.0% of registrations being male. The average person named Tore today is around 43 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Tore births was 1993 (14 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Tore. 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 Tore with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Tore. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
86
~ 1 in 3,985,516 Americans
Peak year
1993
14 babies that year
Average age
43
years old
2004 SSA rank
#13,057
Tracked since 1959
Census
Tore in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 345 people with the first name Tore, which placed it at #26,793 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
#26,793
National first-name rank
People counted
345
345 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
77.1% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tore
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Tore is White at 77.1%. The next largest groups are Black (18.0%) and Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Tore 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 Tore at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White77.1% · 266
- Black or African American18.0% · 62
- Two or more races2.6% · 9
- Hispanic or Latino1.4% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 3
Gender
Gender distribution for Tore
Tore leans heavily male at 88.0% of total registrations, but 11 girls have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Tore as a male name
- Ranked #13,057 in 2004
- 5 male births in 2004
- Peak: 1986 (8 births)
Tore as a female name
- Ranked #15,620 in 1994
- 5 female births in 1994
- Peak: 1993 (6 births)
2020 Census snapshot
In the 2020 Census sex table, Tore leans strongly male. 285 people counted with this name were male (82.1%), compared with 62 female bearers (17.9%).
Popularity
Tore: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Tore from the 1950s through to the 2000s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 36 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1990s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Tore 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 Tore 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 Tore
The name Tore originates from the Old Norse language and is believed to have its roots in the word "þórr," which means "thunder" or "thunder god." This name is closely linked to the Norse mythology and the mighty god Thor, who was associated with thunder, lightning, storms, and strength.
The name Tore was prevalent in Scandinavia, particularly in Norway, Sweden, and Denmark, during the Viking Age (793-1066 AD). It was a popular name among the Norse people, who revered the god Thor and sought to honor him by naming their children after him or his attributes.
In ancient Norse texts and sagas, such as the Poetic Edda and the Prose Edda, there are numerous references to Thor and his exploits. These literary works provide insight into the significance of the name Tore and its connection to the Norse mythological traditions.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Tore can be found in the Icelandic Landnámabók (Book of Settlements), which dates back to the 12th century. This historical record mentions several individuals bearing the name Tore, indicating its widespread use among the Norse settlers of Iceland.
Throughout history, there have been notable individuals who carried the name Tore. One such figure was Tore Hund (c. 1025-1030), a Norwegian nobleman and lendmann (powerful chieftain) who played a significant role in the struggles for power during the reign of King Olaf the Holy.
Another prominent figure was Tore Jonsson (c. 1435-1505), a Norwegian nobleman and military leader who served as the Lord of Austrått and played a crucial role in the Norwegian resistance against Danish rule during the late 15th century.
In more recent times, Tore André Flo (born 1973) is a renowned Norwegian former professional footballer who played as a striker and represented his country in several international tournaments, including the 1998 FIFA World Cup.
Tore Elias Eriksen (1936-2022) was a respected Norwegian actor and director who had a prolific career in theater, film, and television, receiving numerous accolades for his contributions to the performing arts.
Tore Renberg (1972-2022) was a Norwegian singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist who gained popularity as the frontman of the rock band Hellbillies, known for their unique blend of rock, country, and folk music.
These examples illustrate the enduring legacy of the name Tore, which has been carried by notable individuals across various fields throughout history, reflecting its deep-rooted connection to the Norse cultural heritage and mythological traditions.
People
Tore + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Tore 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
Tore: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Tore?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 86 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Tore 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 3,985,516 US residents.
Is Tore a common name?
We classify Tore as "Very Rare". It ranks above 62.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 92 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Tore most popular?
The single biggest year for Tore was 1993, when 14 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Tore is about 43 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Tore in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 345 people with the name Tore, or 0.11 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #26,793 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 Tore 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 Tore?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Tore leans strongly male. 285 people counted with this name were male (82.1%), compared with 62 female bearers (17.9%). 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 Tore?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Tore is White at 77.1%. The next largest groups are Black (18.0%) and Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Tore most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Tore in the 2020 Census, accounting for 77.1% (266 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 Tore in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Tore a male name?
Yes, 88.0% of people registered as Tore 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 Tore still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Tore 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 Tore 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 Tore?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.