Thelonius
Thelonious Sphere Monk was an American jazz pianist and composer. He had a unique improvisational style and made numerous contributions to the standard jazz repertoire, including "'Round Midnight", "Blue Monk", "Straight, No Chaser", "Ruby, My Dear", "In Walked Bud", and "Well, You Needn't". As of 2009, Monk was the second-most-recorded jazz composer in history, after Duke Ellington.
Meaning & Origin of Thelonius
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Thelonious Sphere Monk was an American jazz pianist and composer. He had a unique improvisational style and made numerous contributions to the standard jazz repertoire, including "'Round Midnight", "Blue Monk", "Straight, No Chaser", "Ruby, My Dear", "In Walked Bud", and "Well, You Needn't". As of 2009, Monk was the second-most-recorded jazz composer in history, after Duke Ellington.
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The Story of Thelonius
Thelonius first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby boy name in 1972, with 5 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 2006, when 6 Theloniuss were born — ranking #10,659 that year. As of 2026, Thelonius ranks #12,135 for baby boys with 5 births, with steady use. In total, more than 21 Theloniuss have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1970s through the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Names that sound like Thelonius
Phonetically similar names — useful when Thelonius is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
- Felonious
- Polonius
- Bolognaise
- Thalamus
- Colonia
- Mellowness
- Yellowness
- Colonus
- Apollonius
- Kolonia
- Silliness
- Hollowness
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Thelonius
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About the name Thelonius
Thelonius is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1972 and has accumulated 21 births in the dataset. Thelonius's peak popularity came in 2006 when it ranked #10,659. Use the chart and map above to compare Thelonius's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 2006 →
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- Names starting with "T" →
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- 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.