ESC Name Rank Total Searching... No names found Try searching for: Emma, Liam, Olivia, Noah... 👦As Boy Name 1947 First Year 2026 Last Year 1977 Peak Year #478 Peak Rank 7K Total Count 78 Years Active 👧As Girl Name 1948 First Year 2026 Last Year 1977 Peak Year #832 Peak Rank 4K Total Count 78 Years Active 🌍 ## Meaning & Origin of Tory What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures. A Tory is an individual who supports a political philosophy known as Toryism, based on a British version of traditionalist conservatism which upholds the established social order as it has evolved through the history of Great Britain. The Tory ethos has been summed up with the phrase "God, King and Country". Source: [Wikipedia ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tory) (CC BY-SA 3.0). [Read more → ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tory) 📜Etymology Further information: Rapparee The word Tory derives from the Irish tóraí , meaning "outlaw" (literally "pursuer"). It entered the English language in the 17th century, when it was used to describe Irish outlaws who survived by committing acts of robbery and plunder against English settlers. Later, it came to denote any Catholic or Royalist who had taken up arms against the English government. The word entered English politics during the Exclusion Crisis , emerging as a pejorative term for supporters of the Duke of York and his hereditary right to inherit the throne despite his Catholic religio 📖 ## The Story of Tory ### As a girl name Tory first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a girl name in 1948, with 5 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1977, when 180 Torys were born — ranking #832 that year. As of 2026, Tory ranks #6,236 for girls with 19 births, falling sharply (-30%). In total, more than 4K Torys have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1940s through the 2020s. ### As a boy name Tory first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a boy name in 1947, with 8 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1977, when 286 Torys were born — ranking #478 that year. As of 2026, Tory ranks #4,676 for boys with 22 births, falling sharply (-27%). In total, more than 7K Torys have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1940s through the 2020s. ## Popularity Over Time Girls Boys ## Popularity by State 👧 Girls 👦 Boys 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 Tory Phonetically similar names — useful when Tory is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name. * [Tori](/tori) * [Torie](/torie) * [Torrey](/torrey) * [Torry](/torry) * [Torey](/torey) * [Torrie](/torrie) * [Torri](/torri) * [Torii](/torii) * [Tauri](/tauri) * Tare * [Tari](/tari) * [Terry](/terry) Source: [Datamuse ](https://www.datamuse.com/api/). Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated. ❓ ## Frequently Asked Questions about Tory What does the name Tory mean? A Tory is an individual who supports a political philosophy known as Toryism, based on a British version of traditionalist conservatism which upholds the established social order as it has evolved through the history of Great Britain. The Tory ethos has been summed up with the phrase "God, King and Country". How popular is Tory in 2026? In 2026, Tory ranks #4,676 among boys' names in the U.S., with 22 babies given the name that year. When was Tory most popular? Tory reached its peak popularity in 1977, ranking #478 that year with 286 babies given the name. In which U.S. states is Tory most popular? Tory has historically been most popular in North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Tory. Is Tory a unisex name? Yes — Tory is used for both girls and boys in U.S. records, with about 36% of Torys assigned female and 64% assigned male historically. What names go well with Tory? Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Tory include Cornell, Barbara, Ora. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data. ## Similar Names ### 👦 Similar Boy Names [👦CornellPeak #478](/cornell)[👦BarbaraPeak #478](/barbara)[👦OraPeak #477](/ora)[👦AlbinPeak #479](/albin) ### 👧 Similar Girl Names [👧MargaretePeak #832](/margarete)[👧LaurinePeak #832](/laurine)[👧MoiraPeak #832](/moira)[👧ShardaePeak #832](/shardae) ## About the name Tory Tory is a unisex baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1947 and has accumulated 7K births in the dataset. Tory's peak popularity came in 1977 when it ranked #478\. Use the chart and map above to compare Tory's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices. ### Continue exploring * [ Top names of 1977 → ](/year/1977) * [ Names of the 1970s → ](/decade/1970s) * [ Names starting with "T" → ](/letter/t) * [ Browse all boy names → ](/names/boys) * [ Top names of 2026 → ](/year/2026) * [ Browse unisex names → ](/names/unisex) 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.