Thoreau is a variant of Thorald. One interpretation is “follower of Thor.”
Explained through its name family
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 2013. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Thoreau through the years
Babies since 1880
32
32 boys · 0 girls
Most popular year
2019
9 babies
2025
0
Outside the ranked list
2021–25 vs 2016–20
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Too few births to compare
Thoreau in U.S. Social Security birth records, 2013–2025, per million boys born. Years with fewer than five births for a sex are not published and appear as zero. Use the arrow keys to step through years.
By the numbers
The most recent published U.S. birth count for boys is 7 in 2021. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Its largest published annual count for boys was 9 in 2019.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.