Theran
Derived from the Greek name "Theodoros" meaning "gift of God".
Name Census estimates that about 242 living Americans carry the first name Theran. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Theran today is around 38 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Theran births was 2008 (12 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Theran. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
242
~ 1 in 1,416,340 Americans
Peak year
2008
12 babies that year
Average age
38
years old
2016 SSA rank
#13,988
Tracked since 1924
Census
Theran in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 323 people with the first name Theran, which placed it at #28,012 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#28,012
National first-name rank
People counted
323
323 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
66.3% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Theran
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Theran is White at 66.3%. The next largest groups are Black (19.5%) and Two or More Races (7.1%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Theran described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Theran at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White66.3% · 214
- Black or African American19.5% · 63
- Two or more races7.1% · 23
- American Indian and Alaska Native3.7% · 12
- Hispanic or Latino2.2% · 7
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 4
Popularity
Theran: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Theran from the 1920s through to the 2010s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 76 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1980s peak, Theran remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Theran by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Theran during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Therans live
Origin
Meaning and history of Theran
The name Theran is believed to have originated from the ancient Greek language, with its roots tracing back to the 5th century BC. It is derived from the Greek word "theros," which means "summer" or "warmth." The name's association with summer and warmth suggests a connection to the natural world and the cyclic rhythm of the seasons.
In ancient Greek mythology, there are references to a minor deity named Theran, who was believed to be the personification of the summer season. This deity was often depicted as a youthful and radiant figure, symbolizing the vibrancy and abundance of the summer months.
The earliest recorded use of the name Theran can be found in ancient Greek texts and inscriptions, where it was primarily given to individuals born during the summer months. It was a popular name among the Greek communities, particularly in the regions of mainland Greece and the Aegean islands.
One of the most notable historical figures bearing the name Theran was a Greek philosopher and mathematician who lived in the 6th century BC. He was a disciple of Pythagoras and is credited with contributing to the development of early mathematical concepts and theories.
Another prominent individual named Theran was a Greek sculptor who lived in the 4th century BC. His works were renowned for their intricate details and lifelike representations of human forms. Some of his sculptures can still be seen in museums and archaeological sites across Greece.
In the Byzantine era, there was a saint named Theran who lived in the 9th century AD. He was a monk known for his ascetic lifestyle and commitment to religious teachings. His life and teachings were recorded in hagiographies, and he became a revered figure in the Eastern Orthodox Church.
During the Renaissance period, a notable Italian artist named Theran Ferrante (1470-1550) gained recognition for his exceptional fresco paintings and contributions to the art of the Italian Renaissance. His works can be found adorning the walls of churches and palaces across Italy.
Another historical figure named Theran was a French explorer and navigator from the 17th century. Theran de Gonneville (1597-1677) is known for his voyage to the Indian Ocean, where he encountered and documented the indigenous culture of the Mascarene Islands, now known as Mauritius and Réunion.
While the name Theran has ancient roots and historical significance, it is not a commonly used name in modern times. However, its connection to the natural world and the warmth of summer make it a unique and evocative choice for parents seeking a name with a rich cultural heritage.
People
Theran + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Theran as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with T
Other first names starting with T with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Theran: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Theran?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 242 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Theran going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 1,416,340 US residents.
Is Theran a common name?
We classify Theran as "Very Rare". It ranks above 76.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 261 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Theran most popular?
The single biggest year for Theran was 2008, when 12 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Theran is about 38 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Theran in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 323 people with the name Theran, or 0.11 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #28,012 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Theran in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Theran?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Theran leans strongly male. 292 people counted with this name were male (89.8%), compared with 33 female bearers (10.2%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Theran?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Theran is White at 66.3%. The next largest groups are Black (19.5%) and Two or More Races (7.1%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Theran most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Theran in the 2020 Census, accounting for 66.3% (214 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Theran in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Theran a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Theran in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Theran still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Theran in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Theran can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many people have the name Theran?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.