ESC Name Rank Total Searching... No names found Try searching for: Emma, Liam, Olivia, Noah... 1888 First Year 1932 Last Year 1916 Peak Year #2043 Peak Rank 114 Total Count 14 Years Active 🌍 ## Meaning & Origin of Thorvald What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures. Thorvald is from the Old Norse name Þórvaldr, which means "Thor's ruler". Despite this pagan origin, the name survived the conversion of Scandinavians to Christianity and remains popular up to the present. Source: [Wikipedia ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thorvald) (CC BY-SA 3.0). [Read more → ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thorvald) ### Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name) * Danish * Swedish * Norwegian [![Wikipedia thumbnail for Thorvald](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/93/MadelungFamilyGrave-HumlebaekKirkegard_RomanDeckert05082022.jpg/330px-MadelungFamilyGrave-HumlebaekKirkegard_RomanDeckert05082022.jpg)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thorvald) 📖 ## The Story of Thorvald Thorvald first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby boy name in 1888, with 5 babies given the name that year. The name hit its high-water mark in 1916: 14 births, good for #2,043 nationwide. The 1910s were its strongest decade, accounting for roughly 48% of all recorded Thorvalds. Its most recent appearance in the national data came in 1932 (6 births); the name has since faded from the published rankings. In total, more than 114 Thorvalds have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1880s through 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 Thorvald Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Thorvald. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name. * Torvald 🎶 ## Names that sound like Thorvald Phonetically similar names — useful when Thorvald is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name. * Torvald * Thorold * Marveled * Marvelled * Torvalds * Thralled * Thrilled * Thorell * Thoral * Fourfold * Corvid * Surveilled Source: [Datamuse ](https://www.datamuse.com/api/). Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated. ❓ ## Frequently Asked Questions about Thorvald What does the name Thorvald mean? Thorvald is from the Old Norse name Þórvaldr, which means "Thor's ruler". Despite this pagan origin, the name survived the conversion of Scandinavians to Christianity and remains popular up to the present. What is the origin of the name Thorvald? Thorvald has roots in the following cultural and linguistic traditions: Danish, Swedish, Norwegian. How popular is Thorvald in 2026? In 2026, Thorvald ranks #3,361 among boys' names in the U.S., with 6 babies given the name that year. When was Thorvald most popular? Thorvald reached its peak popularity in 1916, ranking #2,043 that year with 14 babies given the name. In which U.S. states is Thorvald most popular? Thorvald has historically been most popular in Minnesota. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Thorvald. Is Thorvald a unisex name? In U.S. Social Security records, Thorvald is primarily a boy's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a girl's name. What names go well with Thorvald? Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Thorvald include Ethelbert, Bynum, Lonza. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data. What are nicknames or variants of Thorvald? Common variants and related forms of Thorvald include Torvald. These cover foreign-language equivalents, alternate spellings, and short forms. ## Similar Names [👦EthelbertPeak #2043](/ethelbert)[👦BynumPeak #2043](/bynum)[👦LonzaPeak #2043](/lonza)[👦SalomePeak #2043](/salome)[👦ThurlPeak #2043](/thurl)[👦CarrelPeak #2043](/carrel)[👦OrmandPeak #2043](/ormand)[👦EldredgePeak #2043](/eldredge) ## About the name Thorvald Thorvald is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1888 and has accumulated 114 births in the dataset. Thorvald's peak popularity came in 1916 when it ranked #2,043\. Use the chart and map above to compare Thorvald's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices. ### Continue exploring * [ Top names of 1916 → ](/year/1916) * [ Names of the 1910s → ](/decade/1910s) * [ 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.