Tad
Tad is a male given name or shortened version of Tadhg, Thaddeus, Thomas or other names. It may refer to:
Meaning & Origin of Tad
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Tad is a male given name or shortened version of Tadhg, Thaddeus, Thomas or other names. It may refer to:
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
The Story of Tad
Tad first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby boy name in 1912, with 5 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1966, when 265 Tads were born — ranking #469 that year. As of 2026, Tad ranks #6,733 for baby boys with 12 births, gradually falling (-12%). In total, more than 7K Tads have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1910s through the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Notable people named Tad
A small selection from Wikipedia. Tap "Read more" below to see the full list on Wikipedia.
- Tad Boyle (born 1963), University of Colorado men's basketball head coach and former player
- Tad Crawford (born 1984), Canadian Football League player
- Tad Devine (born 1955), American political consultant
- Tad Dorgan (1877–1929), American cartoonist
- Edward T. Foote II (1937–2016), fourth president of the University of Miami
- Tad Friend (born 1962), American journalist
- Tad Gormley (1884–1965), Louisiana State University men's basketball head coach and trainer
- Tad Hilgenbrink (born 1981), American actor
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Names that sound like Tad
Phonetically similar names — useful when Tad is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Tad
What does the name Tad mean?
How popular is Tad in 2026?
When was Tad most popular?
In which U.S. states is Tad most popular?
Is Tad a unisex name?
What names go well with Tad?
About the name Tad
Tad is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1912 and has accumulated 7K births in the dataset. Tad's peak popularity came in 1966 when it ranked #469. Use the chart and map above to compare Tad's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1966 →
- Names of the 1960s →
- Names starting with "T" →
- Browse all boy names →
- Top names of 2026 →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
- Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.