UK boy's name
Thor
A masculine name of Norse/Scandinavian origin meaning "thunder".
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2024. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Thor is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Thor popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #3688, with 5 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2018, with 19 births.
This profile covers 264 England and Wales registrations across 27 recorded years from 1996 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales and NRS Scotland, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.
The latest count is about 26% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 266 living people in the UK are called Thor. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2025 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Thor ranked #3688 for boys in England and Wales in 2024, with 5 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2018, when 19 boys were registered as Thor.
- • Thor ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #595 in 2018.
- • About 266 living people in the UK are estimated to have Thor as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#3688
2024
Births in 2024
5
Latest year
Peak year
2018
19 births
Estimated living
266
2026
Meaning
What does Thor mean?
Thor is a masculine given name with origins tracing back to Old Norse mythology and the ancient Germanic languages. The name is derived from the Old Norse word "Þunraz" or "Þunraz," which means "thunder."
The name Thor is most closely associated with the Norse god of the same name, who was revered as a powerful deity of thunder, storms, strength, and fertility. Thor was one of the most prominent gods in the Norse pantheon, and his name is mentioned extensively in various Norse texts and sagas, including the Poetic Edda and the Prose Edda.
In ancient Norse mythology, Thor was depicted as a muscular, red-haired figure wielding a mighty hammer called Mjölnir. He was believed to be the protector of humankind against the forces of chaos and was often invoked for his strength and courage in battle.
The earliest recorded use of the name Thor dates back to the Viking Age, around the 8th to 11th centuries AD. During this period, the name was popular among Scandinavian and Germanic people, particularly in regions where Norse influence was strong, such as modern-day Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and Iceland.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Thor. One of the earliest recorded examples is Thor Longus, a legendary Norwegian chieftain who lived in the 9th century AD. Another famous bearer of the name was Thor Heyerdahl, a Norwegian explorer and anthropologist best known for his Kon-Tiki expedition across the Pacific Ocean in 1947.
Other prominent individuals named Thor include Thor Bjørklund (1889-1975), a Norwegian sculptor and painter; Thor Heyerdahl (1914-2002), the aforementioned Norwegian explorer; Thor Lislevand (1916-1987), a Norwegian cross-country skier and Olympic medalist; Thor Willadsen (1923-2016), a Danish film director; and Thor Halvorssen (born 1976), a Venezuelan human rights activist and film producer.
While the name Thor has its roots in ancient Norse mythology and was particularly popular in Scandinavian and Germanic regions, it has since gained broader recognition and usage across various cultures and regions around the world.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Thor over time
The chart below shows babies named Thor registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1996 to 2024. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Thor, the clearest high point is 2018. The latest England and Wales figure is 5 births in 2024, compared with 19 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Thor by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Thor was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.
| Decade | Average rank | Total births | Years covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | #2230 | 55 | 5 |
| 2010s | #1852 | 130 | 10 |
| 2000s | #2346 | 68 | 10 |
| 1990s | #1894 | 11 | 2 |
Geography
Where Thor is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Thor. They are useful for spotting where the name is showing up in real numbers, while the rank beside each bar shows how strongly it performs inside that region.
Thor ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #595 in 2018.
Across the UK
Thor in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#595 in 2018
1 years of NRS records, 4 total registered
Notable bearers
Famous people named Thor
-
Thor Vilhjálmsson
poet; playwright; novelist
Icelandic writer (1925-2011)
1925-2011
Related
Names similar to Thor
- Thomas 160,894
- Tyler 42,147
- Theo 40,594
- Toby 32,482
- Theodore 30,211
- Tommy 25,300
- Teddy 20,781
- Taylor 14,354
- Tobias 13,102
- Tom 9,822
- Tristan 9,171
- Timothy 6,200
FAQ
Thor: questions and answers
How popular is the name Thor in the UK right now?
In 2024, Thor was ranked #3688 for boys in England and Wales, with 5 births registered.
When was Thor most popular?
The peak year on record was 2018, with 19 babies registered as Thor in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Thor?
A masculine name of Norse/Scandinavian origin meaning "thunder".
How many people are called Thor in the UK?
A total of 264 babies have been registered as Thor across the 27 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 4 more in Scotland.
Where is Thor most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Thor ranks best in Scotland, where it placed #595 in 2018. The regional bars on this page use birth counts, so they also reflect the size of each region.
Which records is this page based on?
The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.