Toru
An English rendering of the Japanese given name meaning "to pass through".
Name Census estimates that about 6 living Americans carry the first name Toru. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Toru today is around 46 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Toru births was 1922 (14 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Toru. 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 Toru. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
6
~ 1 in 57,125,723 Americans
Peak year
1922
14 babies that year
Average age
46
years old
1995 SSA rank
#10,205
Tracked since 1917
Popularity
Toru: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Toru from the 1910s through to the 1990s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 38 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1920s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Toru 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 Toru during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Torus live
Origin
Meaning and history of Toru
The given name Toru has its roots in Japanese culture and language. It is a masculine name that is believed to have originated from the Japanese word "toru," which means "to take" or "to acquire." The name first emerged in the Heian period (794-1185 AD) and was primarily used by members of the aristocratic class in Japan.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Toru can be found in the historical text "The Tale of Genji," written by Murasaki Shikibu in the early 11th century. In this literary masterpiece, Toru is the name of a minor character, a prince from the Fujiwara clan.
Throughout Japanese history, several notable figures have borne the name Toru. One such individual was Toru Dutt (1856-1877), a renowned Bengali poet who wrote in English and French. Her poetry celebrated the natural beauty of India and explored themes of love and loss.
Another prominent figure named Toru was Toru Takemitsu (1930-1996), a highly acclaimed Japanese composer and writer on aesthetic theory. He is considered one of the most influential composers of the 20th century and is renowned for his avant-garde compositions that blended traditional Japanese music with Western contemporary styles.
In the realm of sports, Toru Murakoso (1925-2012) was a Japanese professional baseball player and manager. He played as an outfielder for the Yomiuri Giants and was inducted into the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame in 1988.
The name Toru has also been associated with individuals in the field of politics. Toru Hashimoto (born 1969) is a former Japanese lawyer and politician who served as the mayor of Osaka from 2011 to 2015.
Additionally, Toru Takemitsu (1930-1996), mentioned earlier, was not only a composer but also a influential figure in the field of film. He composed scores for numerous Japanese films, including iconic works by acclaimed directors like Akira Kurosawa and Masaki Kobayashi.
While the name Toru has its roots in Japanese culture, it has transcended borders and gained popularity in other parts of the world, particularly among individuals of Japanese descent or those with an appreciation for Japanese culture and traditions.
People
Toru + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Toru 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
Toru: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Toru?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 6 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Toru 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 57,125,723 US residents.
Is Toru a common name?
We classify Toru as "Very Rare". It ranks above 22.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 60 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Toru most popular?
The single biggest year for Toru was 1922, when 14 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Toru is about 46 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Toru a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Toru 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.