Fun Facts About the Name Taras
- 671 babies named Taras: U.S. records list 671 babies given the name Taras from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Taras Mean?
Taras is a masculine name used mainly in Ukrainian, Belarusian, and Russian. Its meaning is not securely known. It is generally treated as the East Slavic everyday form of the Greek name Tarasios (Ταράσιος), which belonged to an 8th-century patriarch of Constantinople. The etymology of Tarasios is uncertain; it is often linked to Taras (Τάρας), the ancient Greek name of Tarentum (modern Taranto) and of its legendary founder, rather than to a Greek word with a clear translation.
Some explanations connect Tarasios with the Greek verb tarassō (ταράσσω), "to disturb" or "to trouble," but that link is not firmly established. The older name is therefore best described as having an uncertain meaning rather than a single accepted translation.
Taras Name History & Origins
Tarasios was the name of the Patriarch of Constantinople from 784 to 806, who presided over the Second Council of Nicaea in 787 and is venerated as a saint in the Eastern Orthodox Church. Through Greek Christian usage the name entered Slavic church calendars. In Russian and Ukrainian, the everyday form Taras developed alongside the fuller church form Tarasii (Russian Тарасий; Ukrainian Тарасій); Belarusian also uses Taras.
In Greek myth, Taras was a son of Poseidon and a local nymph and the eponymous founder of Taras, later called Tarentum by the Romans. That story explains the city's name, not the origin of the later Slavic given name, though it is why the Greek name is associated with Taranto. The Ukrainian poet Taras Shevchenko (1814 - 1861) is the best-known bearer of the name; his work is central to modern Ukrainian literature. A separate literary use is Taras Bulba, the Cossack protagonist of Nikolai Gogol's 1835 novel.
How Popular is the Name Taras?
Taras has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 1969. Its best rank was #1,350 in 1969.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #13,673 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2024 | #12,143 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2023 | #8,186 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 2022 | #12,139 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2020 | #13,815 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2019 | #13,901 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2018 | #10,613 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2016 | #11,988 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2015 | #13,819 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2014 | #9,524 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2010 | #7,519 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2009 | #8,908 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2008 | #7,134 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 2007 | #10,765 | 7 | 0.0003% |
| 2006 | #10,525 | 7 | 0.0003% |
| 2005 | #8,991 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2004 | #7,457 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 2003 | #7,761 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2002 | #9,285 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2000 | #8,117 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1999 | #5,994 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1998 | #6,776 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1996 | #8,881 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1995 | #4,750 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 1994 | #6,306 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1993 | #8,583 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1991 | #5,055 | 11 | 0.0005% |
| 1988 | #5,684 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1987 | #5,401 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1985 | #7,463 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1984 | #6,232 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1983 | #6,136 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1982 | #4,943 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1981 | #5,424 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1980 | #6,157 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1979 | #4,042 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1978 | #3,583 | 11 | 0.0007% |
| 1977 | #4,128 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1976 | #3,976 | 9 | 0.0006% |
| 1975 | #4,741 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1974 | #2,446 | 17 | 0.0011% |
| 1973 | #2,593 | 15 | 0.0010% |
| 1972 | #3,135 | 11 | 0.0007% |
| 1971 | #3,126 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1970 | #2,052 | 20 | 0.0011% |
| 1969 | #1,350 | 36 | 0.0020% |
| 1968 | #2,717 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1967 | #2,593 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1966 | #1,751 | 20 | 0.0011% |
| 1965 | #1,551 | 26 | 0.0014% |
| 1964 | #2,106 | 16 | 0.0008% |
| 1963 | #2,107 | 16 | 0.0008% |
| 1962 | #2,489 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 1961 | #2,401 | 13 | 0.0006% |
| 1960 | #3,311 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1959 | #2,646 | 11 | 0.0005% |
| 1958 | #3,011 | 9 | 0.0004% |
| 1957 | #2,482 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 1956 | #2,780 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1955 | #2,950 | 9 | 0.0004% |
| 1954 | #2,428 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 1953 | #2,031 | 16 | 0.0008% |
| 1952 | #3,690 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1951 | #2,358 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 1950 | #4,140 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1927 | #4,730 | 5 | 0.0004% |
| 1922 | #4,884 | 5 | 0.0005% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
Explore More Lists with Name Taras
Most Popular Boy Names That Start with T
Short Boy Names That Start with T
How the Name Taras Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You like to control everyone within your influence, to shape things to your own liking. If positive, you develop high spirituality, as you have a God's protection. You are sensitive, affectionate, imaginative and cooperative, spiritually aware and prone to self-sacrifice. You can keep secrets and are a good diplomat. You may have healing and psychic powers. You are bold, independent, inquisitive and interested in research. You know what you want and why you want it.
You are seeking freedom, opportunities to enjoy life: to make love, to go places and to do things. You are very adventurous and willing to take risk to achieve your objectives. New ways and new experiences can't satisfy your restless nature. One adventure leads you to another. You are honest and fair, because you know that this is the only way to receive justice and honesty from other people. But your personal growth is vital for you, and it is difficult to be tied down by rules and obligations. Your restless spirit might best controlled by choosing the field of work that meet your demand for action and adventure.
✦ Taras's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Taras's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.