Tycho
A Scandinavian name derived from Tycho Brahe, the famous Danish astronomer.
Name Census estimates that about 357 living Americans carry the first name Tycho. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Tycho today is around 12 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Tycho births was 2021 (30 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Tycho. 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
357
~ 1 in 960,096 Americans
Peak year
2021
30 babies that year
Average age
12
years old
2024 SSA rank
#5,853
Tracked since 1972
Popularity
Tycho: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Tycho from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 165 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Tycho remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Tycho 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 Tycho during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Tychos live
Origin
Meaning and history of Tycho
The name Tycho is believed to be of Danish origin, derived from the Old Norse name Tykkr or Tykki. This name likely stems from the Old Norse word "þykkr," meaning "thick" or "stout." It was initially a nickname or byname used to describe a person's physical appearance or build.
The earliest recorded use of the name Tycho dates back to the 11th century in Denmark. One of the most famous historical figures bearing this name was Tycho Brahe (1546-1601), the renowned Danish astronomer who made significant contributions to the study of celestial bodies and the improvement of astronomical instruments.
Another notable figure was Tycho Brahesøn (c. 1608-1669), a Danish-Norwegian civil servant and landowner who served as the County Governor of Trondhjems County (now Trøndelag) in Norway during the 17th century.
In the 18th century, Tycho Rothe (1703-1762) was a Danish naval officer and cartographer known for his work in mapping the Danish-Norwegian territories.
Moving into the 19th century, Tycho Mommsen (1819-1900) was a German classical scholar and historian who specialized in the study of Roman law and Roman history.
In the 20th century, Tycho Brahe (1901-1976) was a Danish actor and film director who appeared in several Danish and Swedish films from the 1930s to the 1960s, sharing the same name as the famous astronomer from the 16th century.
While the name Tycho has its roots in Old Norse and Danish history, it has been adopted and used in various cultures and countries over time, although it remains relatively uncommon in most parts of the world.
People
Tycho + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Tycho 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
Tycho: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Tycho?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 357 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Tycho 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 960,096 US residents.
Is Tycho a common name?
We classify Tycho as "Very Rare". It ranks above 81.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 360 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Tycho most popular?
The single biggest year for Tycho was 2021, when 30 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Tycho is about 12 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Tycho a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Tycho 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.