Boy name · Old Norse
Thor
Name meaning, origin and popularity
: thunderThor is a boy's name that comes from Old Norse and means "thunder". It is used in Scandinavian and English.
- Meaning
- Thunder
- Origin
- Old Norse
- Gender
- Boy
- US rank
- #2875 in 2025
Meaning and origin of Thor
As a boy's name, Thor comes from Old Norse and means "thunder". It is used in Scandinavian and English.
Meanings come from published name dictionaries, led by Behind the Name. How we research names
Thor on Nomezo lists
What our editors wrote about Thor on 7 lists.
“The Norse thunder god, borrowed for a loud little boy”
From Funny middle names, funny middle names for boys
“Norse god of thunder, for a cat with a mighty voice”
From Boy cat names, strong male cat names
“Norse god of thunder, ironic for a dog who hates storms”
From Boy dog names, mythology names for boy dogs
“Norse god of thunder, a fine partner for Donner”
From Reindeer names, nordic and Scandinavian reindeer names
“God of thunder, three pounds total”
From Outrageous pet names, big names for small pets (and the reverse)
“Thunder; Old Norse, the hammer-wielding god”
From Strong boy names, strong Norse boy names
“Thunder; the hammer-wielding god of storms”
From Viking names, norse mythology names
How popular is Thor?
- US rank in 2025
- #2,875
- 44 babies, 26 per million boys
- Best rank
- #883 in 1968
- Most babies: 118 in 2015
- Babies since 1904
- At least 4,857
- Years with under 5 are not listed
| 1880s | 0 per million |
|---|---|
| 1890s | 0 per million |
| 1900s | 4 per million |
| 1910s | 13 per million |
| 1920s | 11 per million |
| 1930s | 9 per million |
| 1940s | 9 per million |
| 1950s | 10 per million |
| 1960s | 29 per million |
| 1970s | 33 per million |
| 1980s | 25 per million |
| 1990s | 26 per million |
| 2000s | 35 per million |
| 2010s | 55 per million |
| 2020s | 40 per million |
| Year | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #1,737 | #1,621 | #1,583 | #1,686 | #1,776 | #1,814 | #1,936 | #2,094 | #2,825 | #2,875 |
Source: US Social Security Administration baby-name data, 1880 to 2025, as published in 2026. Each spelling is counted separately, a name given to fewer than 5 babies of one sex in a year is left out, and few people born before 1937 have records, which is why the chart shows babies per million rather than raw counts.
Other forms of Thor
The same name in other languages and spellings, with the same meaning and origin.
- TorThunder, the god Thor (Old Norse, boy)
Names spelled like Thor
One or two letters apart, but from a different root: they look alike without sharing a meaning.
- TheoGift of God (Greek, boy)
- TomA twin (Aramaic, boy)
- TahirPure, virtuous (Arabic, boy)
- TaoGreat waves (depends on characters) (Chinese, boy)
- ThorirThor's warrior (Old Norse, boy)
- ToharPurity (Hebrew, unisex)
- ToruTo pierce through, thorough (depends on kanji) (Japanese, boy)
- TýrGod (Old Norse, boy)
- TzurRock (Hebrew, boy)
Names with a similar meaning
- ThoraThunder (Old Norse, girl)
- LeiThunder (depends on characters) (Chinese, boy)
Middle names for Thor
Picked from our middle-name lists with a different first letter and a longer length, so the full name flows.
More boy names from Old Norse
- ErikEternal ruler (Old Norse, boy)
- SvenBoy, young man (Old Norse, boy)
- BjörnA bear (Old Norse, boy)
- HaraldArmy ruler (Old Norse, boy)
- HolgerIsland spear (Old Norse, boy)
- IngolfIng's wolf (Old Norse, boy)
- IvorYew warrior (Old Norse, boy)
- OdinFrenzy, inspiration (Old Norse, boy)
- RaghnallCounsel ruler (Old Norse, boy)
- RonaldCounsel ruler (Old Norse, boy)
Thor: common questions
What does the name Thor mean?
Thor comes from Old Norse and means "thunder".
Is Thor a boy or girl name?
Thor is mainly a boy's name.
Where does the name Thor come from?
Thor comes from Old Norse and means "thunder". Today it is used in Scandinavian and English.
How popular is the name Thor?
Thor ranked #2,875 in the US in 2025, with 44 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.
What are other forms of Thor?
Forms of Thor with the same meaning and origin include Tor (Scandinavian).
What middle names go with Thor?
Middle names that flow well with Thor include Arnold, Basil, Conrad, Drake and Joseph. A different first letter and a contrasting length usually sound best.