ESC Name Rank Total Searching... No names found Try searching for: Emma, Liam, Olivia, Noah... 1912 First Year 2026 Last Year 1966 Peak Year #469 Peak Rank 7K Total Count 113 Years Active 🌍 ## 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 ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tad%5F%28given%5Fname%29) (CC BY-SA 3.0). [Read more → ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tad%5F%28given%5Fname%29) ### Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name) * English 📖 ## The Story of Tad The earliest SSA record of Tad as a baby boy name dates back to 1912, when 5 babies received it. 1966 was its biggest year on record, with 265 newborns named Tad — #469 in the national rankings. About 27% of every Tad on record arrived during the 1960s, its defining decade. As of 2026, Tad ranks #6,733 for baby boys with 12 births, gradually falling (-12%). All told, over 7K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1910s to the 2020s. ## Popularity Over Time ## Popularity by State ME WA MT ND MN WI MI NY VT NH MA OR ID SD IA IL IN OH PA NJ CT RI CA NV WY NE MO KY WV VA MD DE DC UT CO KS AR TN NC SC AK AZ NM OK LA MS AL GA HI TX FL Top 10 11-50 51-100 101-500 500+ No data 🔗 ## Variants & Related Forms of Tad Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Tad. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name. * [Thad](/thad) * [Thaddeus](/thaddeus) ⭐ ## 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 ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tad%5F%28given%5Fname%29) (CC BY-SA 3.0). [Read more → ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tad%5F%28given%5Fname%29) 🎶 ## 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. * [Tadd](/tadd) * [Tide](/tide) * [Ted](/ted) * Tied * Toad * Tat * [Todd](/todd) * Tude * [Tod](/tod) * Toyed * Tid * Towed Source: [Datamuse ](https://www.datamuse.com/api/). Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated. ❓ ## Frequently Asked Questions about Tad What does the name Tad mean? Tad is a male given name or shortened version of Tadhg, Thaddeus, Thomas or other names. It may refer to: What is the origin of the name Tad? Tad has roots in the following cultural and linguistic traditions: English. How popular is Tad in 2026? In 2026, Tad ranks #6,733 among boys' names in the U.S., with 12 babies given the name that year. When was Tad most popular? Tad reached its peak popularity in 1966, ranking #469 that year with 265 babies given the name. In which U.S. states is Tad most popular? Tad has historically been most popular in North Dakota, Idaho, Oregon. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Tad. Is Tad a unisex name? In U.S. Social Security records, Tad is primarily a boy's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a girl's name. What names go well with Tad? Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Tad include Efrain, Shon, Bernie. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data. What are nicknames or variants of Tad? Common variants and related forms of Tad include Thad, Thaddeus. These cover foreign-language equivalents, alternate spellings, and short forms. ## Similar Names [👦EfrainPeak #469](/efrain)[👦ShonPeak #469](/shon)[👦BerniePeak #468](/bernie)[👦EmmitPeak #470](/emmit)[👦CarloPeak #470](/carlo)[👦CristopherPeak #470](/cristopher)[👦CasePeak #468](/case)[👦TellyPeak #468](/telly) ## 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 → ](/year/1966) * [ Names of the 1960s → ](/decade/1960s) * [ Names starting with "T" → ](/letter/t) * [ Browse all boy names → ](/names/boys) * [ Top names of 2026 → ](/year/2026) Data sources * Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. [Social Security Administration ](https://www.ssa.gov/oact/babynames/). 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 ](https://www.behindthename.com/) (used under their public API terms). * Meaning prose and editorial summary — [Wikipedia ](https://en.wikipedia.org/) article extracts, licensed under [CC BY-SA 3.0 ](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/). * Predicted nationality distribution — [Nationalize.io ](https://nationalize.io/). * Phonetically similar names — [Datamuse ](https://www.datamuse.com/api/). 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.