Thayer
Thayer is an English surname found in Somerset, the name and given name derived from English tawyer, one who dressed skins.
Meaning & Origin of Thayer
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Thayer is an English surname found in Somerset, the name and given name derived from English tawyer, one who dressed skins.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
The Story of Thayer
As a girl name
American parents first put Thayer on the record books as a girl name in 1936, with 5 registered babies. Its peak popularity came in 2003, when 7 Thayers were born — ranking #12,408 that year. About 20% of every Thayer on record arrived during the 1980s, its defining decade. Thayer last appeared in the published SSA data in 2018, with 7 recorded births — it has not charted nationally since. All told, over 79 Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1930s to the 2020s.
As a boy name
Thayer first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a boy name in 1912, with 6 babies given the name that year. The name hit its high-water mark in 2014: 52 births, good for #2,429 nationwide. About 29% of every Thayer on record arrived during the 2010s, its defining decade. As of 2026, Thayer ranks #4,536 for boys with 23 births, falling sharply (-39%). All told, over 1K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1910s to the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Where is Thayer most common?
Predicted country distribution based on naming patterns globally.
- United States87%
- Canada4%
- PA3%
- Australia3%
- New Zealand3%
Source: Nationalize.io . Probabilities are global naming-pattern estimates, not strict counts.
Names that sound like Thayer
Phonetically similar names — useful when Thayer is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
- There
- Their
- Thor
- Thier
- Thar
- Theyre
- Thore
- Theor
- Thyr
- They
- Ther
- Thre
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Thayer
What does the name Thayer mean?
How popular is Thayer in 2026?
When was Thayer most popular?
In which U.S. states is Thayer most popular?
Is Thayer a unisex name?
What names go well with Thayer?
About the name Thayer
Thayer is a unisex baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1912 and has accumulated 1K births in the dataset. Thayer's peak popularity came in 2014 when it ranked #1,905. Use the chart and map above to compare Thayer's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 2014 →
- Names of the 2010s →
- Names starting with "T" →
- Browse all boy names →
- Top names of 2026 →
- Browse unisex names →
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.