Torstein
A masculine given name of Scandinavian origin meaning "Thor's stone".
Name Census estimates that about 11 living Americans carry the first name Torstein. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Torstein today is around 11 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Torstein births was 2014 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Torstein. 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 Torstein. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
11
~ 1 in 31,159,485 Americans
Peak year
2014
6 babies that year
Average age
11
years old
2016 SSA rank
#14,006
Tracked since 2014
Popularity
Torstein: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Torstein 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 Torstein during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 11 | 0 | 11 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Torstein
The given name Torstein has its origins in Old Norse, a North Germanic language spoken by the Scandinavian peoples during the Viking Age from around the 8th to the 11th centuries. The name is a compound of the elements "Tor" and "steinn", with "Tor" being the name of the Norse god of thunder and "steinn" meaning "stone" or "rock".
The name Torstein was widely used in Scandinavia during the Viking era and the Middle Ages. It was particularly common in Iceland, Norway, and the other Nordic countries. The name's connection to the powerful Norse god Thor likely contributed to its popularity among the Vikings, who revered the god of thunder and lightning.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Torstein can be found in the Icelandic Sagas, a collection of medieval Icelandic literature that recounts the histories and legends of the Norse people. The Saga of the Greenlanders, written in the 13th century, features a character named Torstein Eiriksson, who was a prominent figure in the exploration and settlement of Greenland.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Torstein. One of the most famous was Torstein Raude (Torstein the Red), a Norwegian chieftain and explorer who is believed to have led the first Norse expedition to Greenland around the year 985 AD. Another notable Torstein was Torstein Frá-Ávöldum, a 12th-century Icelandic skald (poet) and chieftain.
In the Middle Ages, the name Torstein was also found among the Scandinavian nobility and ruling classes. For example, Torstein Hallsson (born around 1130) was a Norwegian nobleman and chieftain from the powerful Bjarkøy clan. Additionally, Torstein Toresson (born around 1220) was a Swedish nobleman and a member of the influential Bjelbo family.
During the Viking Age and the early medieval period, the name Torstein was primarily confined to Scandinavia and the areas influenced by Norse culture and settlement, such as Iceland, Greenland, and parts of the British Isles. However, as the name spread and evolved over time, it has taken on various forms and spellings in different languages and cultures.
People
Torstein + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Torstein 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
Torstein: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Torstein?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 11 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Torstein 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 Torstein a common name?
We classify Torstein 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 Torstein most popular?
The single biggest year for Torstein was 2014, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Torstein is about 11 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 Torstein in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Torstein a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Torstein 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 Torstein still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Torstein 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 Torstein 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 many people are named Torstein?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.