Torben
- Gender
- Boy
- Say it
- TOR-ben
- Origin
- Old Norse
- UK rank, 2025
- #2,087 for boys
- US rank, 2025
- #3,313 for boys
Torben is a boys' name of Old Norse origin, meaning “bear of Thor”. In 2025 it ranked 2,087th for boys in the UK (12 babies) and 3,313th for boys in the US (35 babies).
What does Torben mean?
Old Norse: Danish and German form of Thorbjorn
“bear of Thor”
A Danish form of the Old Norse Thorbjorn, combining the name of the god Thor with bjorn, bear.
Is Torben a girl's or a boy's name?
Torben is a boys' name. In 2025, it was given to 12 boys in the UK and 35 boys in the US. Too few girls were given it to be listed.
How popular is Torben in the UK?
- Rank in 2025
- 2,087th among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 12 about 1 in 25,000 boys
- Five-year trend
- Steady down 21% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1% chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 12 boys in the UK were named Torben, making it the 2,087th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 1,412th. Its busiest year was 2016, with 21 boys.
2025 had fewer boys named Torben than any year since 2017.
Half of all the boys named Torben in the UK since 1996 were born between 2014 and 2022, the years shaded on the chart below.
Among boys in 2025, it was 2,011th in England and Wales.
Torben in the UK, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 12 | #2,087 |
| 2024 | 20 | #1,397 |
| 2023 | 14 | #1,812 |
| 2022 | 18 | #1,501 |
| 2021 | 13 | #1,876 |
| 2020 | 19 | #1,412 |
| 2019 | 20 | #1,351 |
| 2018 | 19 | #1,416 |
| 2017 | 12 | #2,037 |
| 2016 | 21 | #1,347 |
| 2015 | 12 | #1,990 |
| 2014 | 9 | #2,378 |
| 2013 | 8 | #2,541 |
| 2012 | 9 | #2,382 |
| 2011 | 9 | #2,311 |
| 2010 | 0 | – |
| 2009 | 4 | #3,909 |
| 2008 | 3 | #4,615 |
| 2007 | 0 | – |
| 2006 | 4 | #3,522 |
| 2005 | 1 | #5,109 |
| 2004 | 0 | – |
| 2003 | 0 | – |
| 2002 | 4 | #2,751 |
| 2001 | 0 | – |
| 2000 | 1 | #4,018 |
| 1999 | 6 | #1,941 |
| 1998 | 4 | #2,531 |
How popular is Torben in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- 3,313th among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 35 about 1 in 49,000 boys
- Five-year trend
- Steady up 1% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1% chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 35 boys in the US were named Torben, making it the 3,313th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 3,731st. It first appears in the records in 1968.
2025 had the most boys named Torben of any year since it first appeared, in 1968.
Half of all the boys named Torben in the US since 1880 were born between 2011 and 2022, the years shaded on the chart below.
Torben in the US, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 35 | #3,313 |
| 2024 | 23 | #4,430 |
| 2023 | 25 | #4,216 |
| 2022 | 33 | #3,462 |
| 2021 | 30 | #3,647 |
| 2020 | 28 | #3,731 |
| 2019 | 31 | #3,568 |
| 2018 | 23 | #4,350 |
| 2017 | 26 | #3,989 |
| 2016 | 12 | #6,721 |
| 2015 | 19 | #4,888 |
| 2014 | 16 | #5,481 |
| 2013 | 9 | #8,113 |
| 2012 | 9 | #8,152 |
| 2011 | 6 | #10,801 |
| 2010 | 9 | #8,133 |
| 2009 | 13 | #6,432 |
| 2008 | 10 | #7,693 |
| 2007 | 8 | #8,909 |
| 2006 | 10 | #7,422 |
| 2005 | 5 | #11,464 |
| 2004 | 0 | – |
| 2003 | 7 | #8,636 |
| 2002 | 0 | – |
| 2001 | 0 | – |
| 2000 | 5 | #10,341 |
| 1999 | 5 | #9,905 |
| 1998 | 5 | #9,623 |
| 1997 | 0 | – |
| 1996 | 6 | #7,964 |
| 1995 | 0 | – |
| 1994 | 0 | – |
| 1993 | 0 | – |
| 1992 | 0 | – |
| 1991 | 0 | – |
| 1990 | 0 | – |
| 1989 | 0 | – |
| 1988 | 0 | – |
| 1987 | 0 | – |
| 1986 | 0 | – |
| 1985 | 0 | – |
| 1984 | 0 | – |
| 1983 | 0 | – |
| 1982 | 0 | – |
| 1981 | 0 | – |
| 1980 | 0 | – |
| 1979 | 0 | – |
| 1978 | 5 | #5,769 |
| 1977 | 0 | – |
| 1976 | 0 | – |
| 1975 | 5 | #5,462 |
| 1974 | 0 | – |
| 1973 | 0 | – |
| 1972 | 0 | – |
| 1971 | 0 | – |
| 1970 | 0 | – |
| 1969 | 6 | #3,934 |
| 1968 | 7 | #3,364 |
Names like Torben
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Theo, Hudson, Jaxon, Luca, Albie, Jenson, Rowan, Macsen, Zion, Enzo, Kairo, Grayson
More Old Norse names
Freya, Ronnie, Ralph, Eric, Astrid, Colby, Rafe, Odin, Ralphie, Erik, Freyja, Erick, Bo, Ronald, Bjorn, Erica
Sources
Figures from Baby names in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics), Babies' first names (National Records of Scotland), Baby names (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency) and Popular Baby Names (US Social Security Administration). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.
To cite this page: Nameling, “Torben: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/torben, updated 20 October 2026.