UK boy's name
Torben
Of Scandinavian origin, meaning "Thor's bear" or "thunder bear".
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.
Torben is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Torben popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #1322, with 20 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2024, with 20 births.
This profile covers 211 England and Wales registrations across 20 recorded years from 1998 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.
Torben is at its recorded peak in the England and Wales series.
We estimate that about 216 living people in the UK are called Torben. 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
- • Torben ranked #1322 for boys in England and Wales in 2024, with 20 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2024, when 20 boys were registered as Torben.
- • Torben ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #703 in 2022.
- • About 216 living people in the UK are estimated to have Torben as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#1322
2024
Births in 2024
20
Latest year
Peak year
2024
20 births
Estimated living
216
2026
Meaning
What does Torben mean?
The name Torben is of Danish and Norwegian origin, derived from the Old Norse name Þórbjǫrn, which means "Thor's bear." Thor was the Norse god of thunder, and the bear was a revered animal in Norse mythology, symbolizing strength and courage.
The name Torben first appeared in written records during the Viking Age, around the 9th to 11th centuries. It was a popular name among the Scandinavian peoples, particularly in Denmark and Norway, where it has remained in use throughout the centuries.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Torben can be found in the Icelandic sagas, such as the Saga of Grettir the Strong, which features a character named Torben Oxemain. These sagas were written down in the 13th and 14th centuries but recount events from the Viking Age.
In Denmark, one of the earliest notable figures with the name Torben was Torben Oxe (1501-1575), a Danish nobleman and statesman who served as the Governor of Denmark and played a significant role in the transition from Catholic to Protestant rule in the country.
Another historical figure with the name Torben was Torben Husen Bredahl (1658-1733), a Danish naval officer and shipbuilder who designed and oversaw the construction of several warships for the Danish Navy during the late 17th and early 18th centuries.
In Norway, one of the most famous individuals with the name Torben was Torben Pederssøn Bjelke (1639-1718), a Norwegian-born Danish admiral who played a crucial role in several naval battles during the Great Northern War (1700-1721) against Sweden.
Other notable individuals with the name Torben include Torben Grut (1872-1964), a Danish architect and urban planner who designed several notable buildings in Copenhagen, and Torben Meyer (1927-2016), a Danish actor and comedian known for his roles in numerous Danish films and television shows.
While the name Torben has its roots in Old Norse and Scandinavian culture, it has also gained popularity in other parts of the world, particularly in countries with strong historical ties to Denmark and Norway, such as the United States and Canada.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Torben over time
The chart below shows babies named Torben registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1998 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 Torben, the clearest high point is 2024. The latest England and Wales figure is 20 births in 2024, compared with 20 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Torben by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Torben 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 | #1561 | 80 | 5 |
| 2010s | #2045 | 107 | 9 |
| 2000s | #3549 | 15 | 4 |
| 1990s | #2258 | 9 | 2 |
Geography
Where Torben is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Torben. 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.
Torben ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #703 in 2022.
Across the UK
Torben in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#703 in 2022
2 years of NRS records, 6 total registered
Notable bearers
Famous people named Torben
-
Torben Betts
actor; playwright; film screenwriter
English playwright
1289-
Related
Names similar to Torben
- 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
Torben: questions and answers
How popular is the name Torben in the UK right now?
In 2024, Torben was ranked #1322 for boys in England and Wales, with 20 births registered.
When was Torben most popular?
The peak year on record was 2024, with 20 babies registered as Torben in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Torben?
Of Scandinavian origin, meaning "Thor's bear" or "thunder bear".
How many people are called Torben in the UK?
A total of 211 babies have been registered as Torben across the 20 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 6 more in Scotland.
Where is Torben most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Torben ranks best in Scotland, where it placed #703 in 2022. 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.