UK boy's name
Thorfinn
A Scandinavian masculine name derived from the Old Norse elements "þorr" meaning "thunder" and "finnr" meaning "bold traveler".
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2021. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Thorfinn is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Thorfinn popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2021 in this profile. In that release it ranked #4789, with 3 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2021, with 3 births.
This profile covers 3 England and Wales registrations across 1 recorded years from 2021 to 2021. 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.
Thorfinn is at its recorded peak in the England and Wales series.
We estimate that about 59 living people in the UK are called Thorfinn. 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 2022 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Thorfinn ranked #4789 for boys in England and Wales in 2021, with 3 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2021, when 3 boys were registered as Thorfinn.
- • Thorfinn ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #727 in 2024.
- • About 59 living people in the UK are estimated to have Thorfinn as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#4789
2021
Births in 2021
3
Latest year
Peak year
2021
3 births
Estimated living
59
2026
Meaning
What does Thorfinn mean?
The name Thorfinn has its origins in Old Norse, the language spoken by the Norse people who inhabited Scandinavia, parts of modern-day Germany, and other regions during the Viking Age. It is a compound name derived from the Old Norse elements "Þórr" (Thor), the name of the Norse god of thunder, and "finn," which means "Finn" or "someone from Finland."
Thorfinn was a common name among the Vikings, particularly in Iceland and parts of Scandinavia. The earliest recorded instances of the name date back to the 9th and 10th centuries, when it appeared in various Norse sagas and historical records. These sagas often depicted individuals named Thorfinn as brave warriors, explorers, and adventurers.
One of the most notable historical figures bearing the name Thorfinn was Thorfinn Karlsefni, an Icelandic explorer born around 986 CE. He is renowned for leading an expedition to Vinland (likely present-day Newfoundland, Canada) around the year 1010 CE, establishing a short-lived Norse settlement there.
Another significant Thorfinn in history was Thorfinn the Mighty, also known as Thorfinn Sigurdsson, an 11th-century Earl of Orkney. He was a powerful Norse ruler who played a crucial role in the political affairs of northern Scotland and Norway during his lifetime, which spanned from around 1009 CE to 1064 CE.
In the realm of literature, the name Thorfinn appears in several Old Norse sagas, including the Saga of Erik the Red and the Greenland Saga. These sagas recount the tales of Norse exploration and settlement in Greenland and Vinland, often mentioning characters named Thorfinn.
Other notable individuals who bore the name Thorfinn include Thorfinn Hausakljufer, a 10th-century Norwegian chieftain and one of the first settlers of Iceland, and Thorfinn Trandilsson, a 12th-century Earl of Orkney and Caithness.
Throughout history, the name Thorfinn has remained popular in Scandinavia, particularly in Iceland and Norway, where it continues to be used as a testament to the region's rich Norse heritage and cultural traditions.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Decades
Thorfinn by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Thorfinn 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 | #4789 | 3 | 1 |
Geography
Where Thorfinn is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Thorfinn. 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.
Thorfinn ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #727 in 2024.
Across the UK
Thorfinn in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#727 in 2024
16 years of NRS records, 56 total registered
Related
Names similar to Thorfinn
- 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
Thorfinn: questions and answers
How popular is the name Thorfinn in the UK right now?
In 2021, Thorfinn was ranked #4789 for boys in England and Wales, with 3 births registered.
When was Thorfinn most popular?
The peak year on record was 2021, with 3 babies registered as Thorfinn in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Thorfinn?
A Scandinavian masculine name derived from the Old Norse elements "þorr" meaning "thunder" and "finnr" meaning "bold traveler".
How many people are called Thorfinn in the UK?
A total of 3 babies have been registered as Thorfinn across the 1 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 56 more in Scotland.
Where is Thorfinn most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Thorfinn ranks best in Scotland, where it placed #727 in 2024. 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.