UK boy's name
Tyr
An Old Norse name representing the god of war and heroic glory.
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2023. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Tyr is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Tyr popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2023 in this profile. In that release it ranked #4107, with 4 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2021, with 4 births.
This profile covers 20 England and Wales registrations across 6 recorded years from 2005 to 2023. 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 100% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 23 living people in the UK are called Tyr. 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 2024 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Tyr ranked #4107 for boys in England and Wales in 2023, with 4 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2021, when 4 boys were registered as Tyr.
- • Tyr ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #704 in 2018.
- • About 23 living people in the UK are estimated to have Tyr as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#4107
2023
Births in 2023
4
Latest year
Peak year
2021
4 births
Estimated living
23
2026
Meaning
What does Tyr mean?
The name Tyr has its origins in Old Norse mythology, where it referred to the god of war and justice. It is derived from the Proto-Germanic word "Tiwaz," which is believed to have originated from the Proto-Indo-European root "*deyw-o," meaning "sky" or "god."
In Norse mythology, Tyr was one of the principal gods, known for his courage, honor, and willingness to make sacrifices for the greater good. He was associated with law, justice, and oaths, and was often depicted as a one-handed god, having sacrificed his hand to the monstrous wolf Fenrir.
The name Tyr appears in various ancient texts and historical records related to Norse mythology and culture. It is found in the Poetic Edda, a collection of Old Norse poems, and the Prose Edda, a work by the Icelandic scholar Snorri Sturluson, which provides a comprehensive account of Norse mythology.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Tyr can be found in the Gallehus Horns, a pair of golden horns discovered in Denmark, dating back to around 400 CE. The horns feature an inscription that includes the name "Tyr."
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Tyr or variations of it. One such person was Tyr Anor (c. 980 - c. 1020), a Viking warrior and explorer from Greenland, who is believed to have explored parts of North America.
Another famous bearer of the name was Tyr Heyerdahl (1914 - 2002), a Norwegian explorer and ethnographer best known for his Kon-Tiki expedition, where he sailed across the Pacific Ocean on a balsa wood raft to demonstrate the possibility of ancient transoceanic voyages.
In Greek mythology, there is a figure named Tyrios, who was believed to be the son of Hermes and Aglauros. He is associated with the founding of the city of Tyre in Phoenicia (modern-day Lebanon).
The name also appears in the Mahabharata, one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India. Here, Tyr is mentioned as a powerful and respected warrior in the service of the Pandavas.
Finally, Tyr was the name of a prominent leader of the Jutes, a Germanic tribe that settled in parts of Britain in the 5th and 6th centuries CE. He is mentioned in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle and is believed to have played a role in the establishment of the Kingdom of Kent.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Tyr over time
The chart below shows babies named Tyr registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 2005 to 2023. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Tyr, the clearest high point is 2021. The latest England and Wales figure is 4 births in 2023, compared with 4 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Tyr by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Tyr 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 | #4235 | 11 | 3 |
| 2010s | #4780 | 6 | 2 |
| 2000s | #3849 | 3 | 1 |
Geography
Where Tyr is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Tyr. 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.
Tyr ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #704 in 2018.
Across the UK
Tyr in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#704 in 2018
1 years of NRS records, 3 total registered
Related
Names similar to Tyr
- 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
Tyr: questions and answers
How popular is the name Tyr in the UK right now?
In 2023, Tyr was ranked #4107 for boys in England and Wales, with 4 births registered.
When was Tyr most popular?
The peak year on record was 2021, with 4 babies registered as Tyr in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Tyr?
An Old Norse name representing the god of war and heroic glory.
How many people are called Tyr in the UK?
A total of 20 babies have been registered as Tyr across the 6 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 3 more in Scotland.
Where is Tyr most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Tyr ranks best in Scotland, where it placed #704 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.