Total births
313
Boys' name · since 1958
Thorn
313 babies named Thorn in U.S. Social Security records since 1958, with the highest year being 1988. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #12601
- among boys today
- 313
- born since 1958
- 1990s
- peak decade
- 12%
- more common than other boys
Yes -- Thorn is the #12601 most popular boys' name in the U.S. today, with 313 recorded since 1958.
Thorn has 313 recorded births among boys since 1958, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #12601 as of the latest data, more common than 12% of boys, busiest in the 1990s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1958 to 2025.
- #12601 among boys today
- 313 born since 1958
- 1990s peak decade
- 12% more common than other boys
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Thorn is currently the #12601 boys' name in America, more common than 12% of boys - 313 born since 1958, peaking in the 1990s.
- #12601
- among boys today
- 313
- born since 1958
- 1990s
- peak decade
- 12%
- more common than other boys
Thorn vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
#12601
of 14,294 boys in use
More common than 12% of names given to boys today.
1990s
Peak decade
31% of everyone ever named Thorn was born in this single decade.
1988
Single peak year
16 babies were named Thorn in 1988 - its busiest year on record.
How Thorn compares
313 47th percentile among 14,294 names currently given to boys
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Thorn's all-time total is 15% below the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Thorn | Median boys name (Elchonon) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 313 | 367 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 16 | 23 | 22,252 |
Thorn's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Thorn's full recorded timeline at 2005, 46% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 54% in the earlier half -- a fairly even split across the full record. Its quietest year on record was 1958, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1988 peak of 16 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Thorn at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1988
Current rank
#12,601
Active since
1958
Thorn popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1958–2025
- Peak year (1988)
- 16
- Annual births at peak, across 68 years of records
Thorn by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1990s was Thorn's strongest decade.
98 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 31% of all-time use.
Thorn births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1950s 5
1950s
5 births
- 1960s 5
1960s
5 births
- 1980s 39
1980s
39 births
- 1990s
1990s
98 births
- 2000s
2000s
62 births
- 2010s
2010s
61 births
- 2020s
2020s
43 births
What this shows Peak: 1990s at 98 births (31% of all-time use).
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Thorn? ▼
Since 1958, Social Security records show 313 babies named Thorn. Today it holds rank #12601 among boys. Its busiest year on record was 1988, with 16 births.
When was Thorn most popular? ▼
Thorn was most popular in the 1990s decade with 98 total births. The single peak year was 1988.
How long has the name Thorn been used? ▼
Records for Thorn go back to 1958, giving 68 years of history through 2025.
What names are similar to Thorn? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Thomas, Thor, Thornton, Thompson, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.
What to do with Thorn's data
- Thorn's usage has stayed within range of its 1990s decade-level peak (98 total births) through the 2020s (43) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Thorn
Nearby Names Like Thorn
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Thorn
Thomas Boy
#39 2,358,576 births
Thor Boy
#2792 4,857 births
Thornton Boy
#10943 3,132 births
Thompson Boy
#2921 2,725 births
Thorin Boy
#1362 2,301 births
Compare Thorn side by side: Thorn vs Thomas Thorn vs Thor Thorn vs Thornton
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Thorn
Data Sources
Data as of June 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1958–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Thorn: #12601 Boys' Name - 313 Births, Peak 1988." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/thorn. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Thorn draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.