ESC Name Rank Total Searching... No names found Try searching for: Emma, Liam, Olivia, Noah... 1917 First Year 2020 Last Year 2009 Peak Year #5334 Peak Rank 93 Total Count 13 Years Active 🌍 ## Meaning & Origin of Thales What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures. Thales of Miletus was an Ancient Greek pre-Socratic philosopher from Miletus in Ionia, Asia Minor. Thales was one of the Seven Sages, founding figures of Ancient Greece. Source: [Wikipedia ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thales%5Fof%5FMiletus) (CC BY-SA 3.0). [Read more → ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thales%5Fof%5FMiletus) ### Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name) * Ancient Greek * Portuguese [![Wikipedia thumbnail for Thales](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c6/Illustrerad_Verldshistoria_band_I_Ill_107.jpg/330px-Illustrerad_Verldshistoria_band_I_Ill_107.jpg)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thales%5Fof%5FMiletus) 📖 ## The Story of Thales The earliest SSA record of Thales as a baby boy name dates back to 1917, when 5 babies received it. 2009 was its biggest year on record, with 17 newborns named Thales — #5,334 in the national rankings. About 57% of every Thales on record arrived during the 2010s, its defining decade. Thales last appeared in the published SSA data in 2020, with 6 recorded births — it has not charted nationally since. All told, over 93 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 🎶 ## Names that sound like Thales Phonetically similar names — useful when Thales is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name. * Thills * Thas * Theyll * Thaler * Tales * Tails * Sales * Fails * Sails * Males * Mails * Hails Source: [Datamuse ](https://www.datamuse.com/api/). Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated. ❓ ## Frequently Asked Questions about Thales What does the name Thales mean? Thales of Miletus was an Ancient Greek pre-Socratic philosopher from Miletus in Ionia, Asia Minor. Thales was one of the Seven Sages, founding figures of Ancient Greece. What is the origin of the name Thales? Thales has roots in the following cultural and linguistic traditions: Ancient Greek, Portuguese. How popular is Thales in 2026? In 2026, Thales ranks #10,599 among boys' names in the U.S., with 6 babies given the name that year. When was Thales most popular? Thales reached its peak popularity in 2009, ranking #5,334 that year with 17 babies given the name. In which U.S. states is Thales most popular? Thales has historically been most popular in Tennessee. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Thales. Is Thales a unisex name? In U.S. Social Security records, Thales is primarily a boy's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a girl's name. What names go well with Thales? Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Thales include Elizardo, Flores, Torivio. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data. ## Similar Names [👦ElizardoPeak #5334](/elizardo)[👦FloresPeak #5334](/flores)[👦TorivioPeak #5334](/torivio)[👦AmparoPeak #5334](/amparo)[👦JerrillPeak #5334](/jerrill)[👦JaynePeak #5334](/jayne)[👦TmothyPeak #5334](/tmothy)[👦MihaelPeak #5334](/mihael) ## About the name Thales Thales is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1917 and has accumulated 93 births in the dataset. Thales's peak popularity came in 2009 when it ranked #5,334\. Use the chart and map above to compare Thales's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices. ### Continue exploring * [ Top names of 2009 → ](/year/2009) * [ Names of the 2000s → ](/decade/2000s) * [ 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.