Thaddeus
Thaddeus was the 798th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 314 babies. Its best year was 1918, when it ranked 307th; the most babies were born in 2016 (416). Over the last ten years it has moved down 93 places. More babies were named Thaddeus in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning name of an apostle (origin uncertain) · Greek, Aramaic
Say it THAD-ee-us /ˈθædiəs/
- Rank in 2025
- #798 boys, down 12 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 314boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 2016416 babies
- Total since 1880
- 26,089babies recorded
What does the name Thaddeus mean?
Thaddeus is the Latin and English form of Greek Thaddaios, one of the twelve apostles in Mark 3:18 and Matthew 10:3, usually identified with Jude. The origin of the name is uncertain. It may be an Aramaic name, perhaps linked to a word for 'breast' or 'heart', or a Greek name shortened from Theodotos or Theodoros 'gift of God'. Thaddeus was used in Poland and Ireland and later in the US.
Θαδδαῖος (Thaddaios) (Koine Greek, “Thaddaeus”)
How sure is this? Uncertain. Both an Aramaic and a Greek origin have been proposed; none is established.
Related names: Thaddaeus, Tadeo, Tadeusz, Thad, Tad.
See also: Greek names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Thaddeus', Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- New Testament, Mark 3:18, BibleGateway (NRSVUE)
Nicknames for Thaddeus
The usual nicknames for Thaddeus are Thad and Tad. Some parents skip the long form: for every 100 boys named Thaddeus in the last five years, 4 were named Tad, against 17 twenty years earlier.
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are boys given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Thaddeuss go by each one.
Thaddeus popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 32 since 1932.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #798 | 314 |
| 2020 | #786 | 297 |
| 2010 | #994 | 198 |
| 2000 | #764 | 218 |
| 1990 | #579 | 305 |
| 1980 | #528 | 267 |
| 1970 | #544 | 223 |
| 1960 | #536 | 219 |
| 1950 | #456 | 211 |
| 1940 | #535 | 121 |
| 1930 | #450 | 173 |
| 1920 | #337 | 298 |
| 1910 | #535 | 29 |
| 1900 | #621 | 17 |
| 1890 | #873 | 7 |
| 1880 | #561 | 12 |
How popular is Thaddeus, counting every spelling?
Thaddeus is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #773 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #798 for Thaddeus on its own. Together these spellings went to 320 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thaddeus | 314 | #798 | 1,463 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Thaddeus?
314 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Thaddeus (0.09 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Thaddeus born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 27 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Thaddeus.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Thaddeus?
About 17,900 people born in the US named Thaddeus are alive today, with a median age of 36; half are between 15 and 54. That makes Thaddeus mostly worn by adults in their thirties to fifties. The wide spread shows a name popular in two different eras.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Thaddeus by state
How common Thaddeus was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Kansas (2.2×), Minnesota (2.1×), Indiana (2.0×), Wisconsin (2.0×), Colorado (1.7×). In 19 states fewer than five boys a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Thaddeus: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Thaddeus, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Thaddeus · Sibling names for Thaddeus
Questions about the name Thaddeus
What does Thaddeus mean?
Thaddeus is usually explained as “name of an apostle (origin uncertain)”, but this is uncertain. Certainty: uncertain.
How popular is the name Thaddeus?
Thaddeus was the 798th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 314 babies. Its best year was 1918, when it ranked 307th; the most babies were born in 2016 (416). Over the last ten years it has moved down 93 places. More babies were named Thaddeus in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Thaddeus a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Thaddeus in the US.
Where is Thaddeus most popular?
In 2021–2025, Thaddeus was most common in Kansas (0.38 per 1,000 boys), followed by Nebraska and Minnesota.