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Thorvald
How to Pronounce Thorvald
Pronounced TOR-vahld /ˈtɔːrvɑːld/Medium
Meaning: Thorvald is an authentic Old Norse name combining the god-name Thor, the thunder deity of Norse myth, with valdr, 'ruler' or 'power.' The whole is usually read as 'Thor's ruler' or 'ruled by Thor.' It has been a steady Scandinavian name for a thousand years and reached America chiefly with Norwegian and Danish immigrants.Medium
Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data
U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880–present). Pink marker = peak year.
SSA data updated May 2026. How we source & verify this data.
History & Origin
Thorvald is a genuine Old Norse name, uniting Thor, the hammer-wielding god of thunder, with valdr, 'ruler,' for a sense of 'Thor's ruler' or 'ruled by Thor.' Names built on Thor were common across the medieval Norse world, and Thorvald traveled to the American Midwest with Scandinavian immigrants in the late eighteen-hundreds.
Thorvald had its modest American peak in the nineteen-tens, given to only about fourteen boys a year even then and just over a hundred boys across its whole run before it faded as immigrant families anglicized. A boy named Thorvald at that peak was born over a century ago.
Variations
Nicknames
Famous Bearers
- ★Thorvald Eiriksson (died about 1004)Norse explorer of the sagas, son of Erik the Red and brother of Leif Erikson, said to have voyaged to Vinland in North America
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Frequently Asked
What does the name Thorvald mean?
It is an Old Norse name meaning 'Thor's ruler' or 'ruled by Thor,' from the thunder god Thor and valdr, 'ruler.'
How do you pronounce Thorvald?
It is said TOR-vahld /ˈtɔːrvɑːld/ - two syllables, stress on the first.
Is Thorvald a boy or girl name?
Thorvald is used as a boy's name.
How popular is Thorvald?
It was always rare in the United States, given to only about fourteen boys a year at its peak in the nineteen-tens, mostly in Scandinavian immigrant families.