NameCensus.
Rare

Tou

A masculine name of Cambodian origin meaning "grandchild" or "little one".

Name Census estimates that about 1,214 living Americans carry the first name Tou. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Tou today is around 35 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Tou births was 1990 (82 babies).

This page is the full Name Census profile for Tou. 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

1.2K

~ 1 in 282,335 Americans

Peak year

1990

82 babies that year

Average age

35

years old

2015 SSA rank

#11,954

Tracked since 1980

Popularity

Tou: popularity over time

The SSA tracks Tou from the 1980s through to the 2010s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 578 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

02141628219801985199019952000200520102015

Decades

Tou 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 Tou during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.

DecadeMaleFemaleTotal
1980s5430543
1990s5780578
2000s1100110
2010s23023

Geography

Where Tous live

The SSA's state-level files cover 5 states and territories. California, Minnesota, Wisconsin recorded the most babies named Tou, while Rhode Island, Michigan, Wisconsin recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 204 registrations each.

Origin

Meaning and history of Tou

The name Tou has its origins in several ancient cultures and languages. It is believed to have derived from the Chinese word "tou," meaning "head" or "leader." The name was particularly popular in ancient China, where it was used to denote someone of high status or authority.

In ancient Egyptian culture, the name Tou was also used, although its exact meaning is unclear. Some scholars suggest it may have been related to the Egyptian word "tou," meaning "to rise" or "to ascend," possibly indicating someone of elevated rank or spiritual significance.

The name Tou can be traced back to ancient texts and records from various civilizations. In the Chinese classic text "The Analects of Confucius," written around the 5th century BCE, there is a reference to a person named Tou Ying, who was a disciple of Confucius. Additionally, in ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics, the name Tou appears in several inscriptions and tomb engravings, although the identities of these individuals are often lost to history.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Tou was Tou Yao, a Chinese philosopher and historian who lived during the Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220 CE). He is known for his work "Chunqiu Fanlu," a commentary on the ancient Chinese text "The Spring and Autumn Annals."

Another notable figure was Tou Diên, a Vietnamese Buddhist monk and scholar who lived during the 17th century (1628-1696). He was renowned for his contributions to the development of the Nôm script, a writing system used in Vietnam for centuries.

In ancient Greece, there was a philosopher named Tou from the city of Samos, who lived around the 6th century BCE. Although little is known about his life, he is mentioned by the ancient Greek historian Herodotus as being a contemporary of the philosopher Thales.

During the medieval period, there was a Benedictine monk named Tou de Champagne (1020-1089), who played a significant role in the reform of monastic life in France. He is particularly remembered for his work in establishing the Abbey of Cluny as a center of spiritual and intellectual influence.

Finally, in the realm of literature, there was a Japanese poet named Tou Fujiwara (1114-1201), who was a prominent figure in the late Heian period. He is best known for his contributions to the imperial anthology of Japanese poetry, the "Shinkokinshū."

These are just a few examples of individuals throughout history who have borne the name Tou, showcasing its diverse cultural and linguistic origins, as well as its presence across various fields and eras.

People

Tou + last name combinations

How many people share a full name with Tou 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

Tou: questions and answers

How many people in the U.S. are named Tou?

Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,214 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Tou 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 282,335 US residents.

Is Tou a common name?

We classify Tou as "Rare". It ranks above 91.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,254 babies have been registered with this name.

When was Tou most popular?

The single biggest year for Tou was 1990, when 82 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Tou is about 35 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.

Is Tou a male name?

Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Tou 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.

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