Fun Facts About the Name Thor
- More than 4 thousand babies named Thor: U.S. records list 4,854 babies given the name Thor from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Thor Mean?
Thor is the English form of the Old Norse name Þórr, meaning "thunder." The Old Norse name comes from Proto-Germanic *Þunraz, the Germanic word for thunder, which also appears as Old English Þunor and Old High German Donar. It is a single word, not a compound, and its literal sense is the natural phenomenon. In Norse mythology, Þórr is the thunder god, but that association is a mythological use of the thunder word, not a separate etymology. English replaces the Old Norse letter þ (thorn) with th, giving the modern spelling Thor.
Thor Name History & Origins
The Germanic thunder word was used as the name of a god among several Germanic peoples. In medieval Iceland, Þórr is a major figure in the Poetic Edda and Snorri Sturluson's Prose Edda, appearing in poems such as Þrymskviða and Hymiskviða. The Old English cognate Þunor is preserved in the weekday name Þunresdæg, which became Modern English Thursday; that English weekday name comes from the Old English form, not directly from the Norse Thor.
In Scandinavia, the element Þor- appears in compound personal names such as Þorvaldr and Þorsteinn, and the standalone name Þór or Thor is used in Iceland and other Nordic countries. In English, Thor is a borrowing from Old Norse, known through translations and retellings of Norse myth and through later works such as Marvel Comics' Thor; it is not the native Old English form of the god's name.
How Popular is the Name Thor?
Thor recorded its highest annual U.S. birth count in 2015. Its best rank was #883 in 1968.
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 | #2,875 | 44 | 0.0026% |
| 2024 | #2,820 | 46 | 0.0027% |
| 2023 | #2,094 | 71 | 0.0042% |
| 2022 | #1,949 | 80 | 0.0046% |
| 2021 | #1,813 | 87 | 0.0050% |
| 2020 | #1,776 | 86 | 0.0050% |
| 2019 | #1,685 | 95 | 0.0053% |
| 2018 | #1,583 | 106 | 0.0058% |
| 2017 | #1,621 | 99 | 0.0054% |
| 2016 | #1,737 | 90 | 0.0047% |
| 2015 | #1,442 | 118 | 0.0062% |
| 2014 | #1,441 | 115 | 0.0060% |
| 2013 | #1,633 | 94 | 0.0050% |
| 2012 | #1,541 | 104 | 0.0055% |
| 2011 | #1,509 | 107 | 0.0056% |
| 2010 | #1,609 | 98 | 0.0051% |
| 2009 | #1,885 | 77 | 0.0039% |
| 2008 | #1,561 | 103 | 0.0050% |
| 2007 | #1,946 | 73 | 0.0035% |
| 2006 | #1,855 | 74 | 0.0036% |
| 2005 | #1,770 | 75 | 0.0038% |
| 2004 | #2,098 | 57 | 0.0029% |
| 2003 | #1,734 | 71 | 0.0036% |
| 2002 | #1,969 | 57 | 0.0029% |
| 2001 | #1,814 | 62 | 0.0032% |
| 2000 | #2,045 | 50 | 0.0025% |
| 1999 | #1,993 | 49 | 0.0026% |
| 1998 | #2,092 | 45 | 0.0024% |
| 1997 | #1,882 | 50 | 0.0027% |
| 1996 | #1,901 | 48 | 0.0025% |
| 1995 | #1,910 | 45 | 0.0024% |
| 1994 | #1,751 | 51 | 0.0026% |
| 1993 | #1,871 | 45 | 0.0023% |
| 1992 | #1,502 | 61 | 0.0031% |
| 1991 | #1,720 | 48 | 0.0024% |
| 1990 | #1,527 | 56 | 0.0027% |
| 1989 | #1,547 | 53 | 0.0026% |
| 1988 | #1,551 | 48 | 0.0025% |
| 1987 | #1,363 | 55 | 0.0029% |
| 1986 | #1,435 | 49 | 0.0027% |
| 1985 | #1,666 | 38 | 0.0021% |
| 1984 | #1,442 | 45 | 0.0025% |
| 1983 | #1,512 | 41 | 0.0023% |
| 1982 | #1,537 | 41 | 0.0023% |
| 1981 | #1,543 | 40 | 0.0022% |
| 1980 | #1,200 | 59 | 0.0033% |
| 1979 | #1,288 | 52 | 0.0030% |
| 1978 | #1,369 | 46 | 0.0028% |
| 1977 | #1,543 | 37 | 0.0023% |
| 1976 | #1,498 | 37 | 0.0024% |
| 1975 | #1,278 | 46 | 0.0029% |
| 1974 | #1,169 | 51 | 0.0032% |
| 1973 | #1,065 | 59 | 0.0038% |
| 1972 | #1,013 | 64 | 0.0039% |
| 1971 | #913 | 80 | 0.0045% |
| 1970 | #1,014 | 65 | 0.0035% |
| 1969 | #957 | 65 | 0.0036% |
| 1968 | #883 | 67 | 0.0039% |
| 1967 | #1,099 | 46 | 0.0026% |
| 1966 | #887 | 67 | 0.0038% |
| 1965 | #965 | 59 | 0.0032% |
| 1964 | #1,015 | 56 | 0.0028% |
| 1963 | #1,090 | 50 | 0.0025% |
| 1962 | #1,068 | 52 | 0.0025% |
| 1961 | #967 | 64 | 0.0030% |
| 1960 | #1,240 | 41 | 0.0019% |
| 1959 | #1,521 | 28 | 0.0013% |
| 1958 | #1,673 | 23 | 0.0011% |
| 1957 | #1,830 | 20 | 0.0009% |
| 1956 | #1,530 | 27 | 0.0013% |
| 1955 | #1,367 | 32 | 0.0016% |
| 1954 | #2,203 | 14 | 0.0007% |
| 1953 | #1,951 | 17 | 0.0009% |
| 1952 | #1,697 | 21 | 0.0011% |
| 1951 | #2,237 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 1950 | #2,194 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 1949 | #1,815 | 18 | 0.0010% |
| 1948 | #2,109 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 1947 | #1,784 | 19 | 0.0010% |
| 1946 | #2,392 | 11 | 0.0007% |
| 1945 | #2,234 | 11 | 0.0008% |
| 1944 | #1,883 | 15 | 0.0011% |
| 1943 | #2,064 | 14 | 0.0010% |
| 1942 | #2,034 | 14 | 0.0010% |
| 1941 | #1,892 | 15 | 0.0012% |
| 1940 | #3,432 | 6 | 0.0005% |
| 1939 | #2,808 | 8 | 0.0007% |
| 1938 | #2,174 | 12 | 0.0011% |
| 1937 | #2,659 | 9 | 0.0008% |
| 1936 | #3,511 | 6 | 0.0006% |
| 1935 | #2,516 | 10 | 0.0010% |
| 1934 | #2,380 | 11 | 0.0011% |
| 1933 | #4,106 | 5 | 0.0005% |
| 1932 | #2,308 | 12 | 0.0011% |
| 1931 | #2,634 | 10 | 0.0010% |
| 1930 | #3,264 | 8 | 0.0007% |
| 1929 | #2,311 | 13 | 0.0012% |
| 1928 | #2,151 | 15 | 0.0014% |
| 1927 | #4,741 | 5 | 0.0004% |
| 1926 | #3,121 | 9 | 0.0008% |
| 1925 | #2,080 | 16 | 0.0014% |
| 1924 | #2,456 | 13 | 0.0011% |
| 1923 | #3,437 | 8 | 0.0007% |
| 1922 | #2,781 | 11 | 0.0010% |
| 1921 | #2,786 | 11 | 0.0010% |
| 1920 | #2,120 | 16 | 0.0015% |
| 1919 | #3,098 | 9 | 0.0009% |
| 1918 | #2,523 | 12 | 0.0012% |
| 1917 | #2,083 | 15 | 0.0016% |
| 1916 | #2,716 | 10 | 0.0011% |
| 1915 | #2,169 | 13 | 0.0015% |
| 1914 | #2,090 | 11 | 0.0017% |
| 1913 | #2,077 | 9 | 0.0018% |
| 1912 | #2,248 | 7 | 0.0016% |
| 1904 | #1,382 | 5 | 0.0039% |
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.
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How the Name Thor 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 frank, methodical and believe in law, system and order.
You are very intuitive. You have a reservoir of inspired wisdom combined with inherited analytical ability, which could reward you through expressions of spiritual leadership, business analysis, marketing, artistic visions, and scientific research. Operating on spiritual side of your individuality can bring you to the great heights, and drop you off if you neglect your spiritual identity. You are always looking for an opportunity to investigate the unknown, to use and show your mental abilities, to find the purpose and meaning of life. You want to grow wise and to understand people and things. You need privacy to replenish your energy. You have a unique way of thinking, intuitive, reflective, absorbing.
✦ Thor's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Thor's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.