Head to head · Boys' names
Tru vs Vicente
#591 vs #589 in 2025
Vicente is a whisker ahead (#589 vs #591 in 2025), but the curves point different ways: Vicente is back after a long quiet spell, Tru is climbing the charts fast. On momentum, Tru has the edge.
Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
The tale of the tape
On the charts, Vicente leads 5 measures of 6; Tru leads 1.
Ranks, counts and years are measured in the official US birth record; the classroom and living figures are estimates computed from it. The dot marks the side each measure favours on the charts — more common, not better.
What the records say
146 years of US births, drawn on one scale
Two curves, one scale
Who owned which decade
- 1880s: Tru —, Vicente #795 — Vicente higher
- 1890s: Tru —, Vicente #859 — Vicente higher
- 1900s: Tru —, Vicente #971 — Vicente higher
- 1910s: Tru —, Vicente #962 — Vicente higher
- 1920s: Tru —, Vicente #722 — Vicente higher
- 1930s: Tru —, Vicente #719 — Vicente higher
- 1940s: Tru —, Vicente #768 — Vicente higher
- 1950s: Tru —, Vicente #785 — Vicente higher
- 1960s: Tru —, Vicente #738 — Vicente higher
- 1970s: Tru —, Vicente #610 — Vicente higher
- 1980s: Tru —, Vicente #564 — Vicente higher
- 1990s: Tru #6117, Vicente #562 — Vicente higher
- 2000s: Tru #3659, Vicente #589 — Vicente higher
- 2010s: Tru #1828, Vicente #725 — Vicente higher
- 2020s: Tru #667, Vicente #676 — Tru higher
Vicente stood higher in 14 of 15 decades; Tru took the 2020s.
Rank by decade
| Decade | Tru | Vicente |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | — | #795 |
| 1890s | — | #859 |
| 1900s | — | #971 |
| 1910s | — | #962 |
| 1920s | — | #722 |
| 1930s | — | #719 |
| 1940s | — | #768 |
| 1950s | — | #785 |
| 1960s | — | #738 |
| 1970s | — | #610 |
| 1980s | — | #564 |
| 1990s | #6117 | #562 |
| 2000s | #3659 | #589 |
| 2010s | #1828 | #725 |
| 2020s | #667 | #676 |
Average national rank across each decade. A dash means the name sat outside the recorded top of that decade.
The names themselves
Meaning, roots, sound and the people who carried each
Where each name comes from
Tru
true — faithful, trustworthy
Two roads lead to the same place: the English virtue word "true", and the short form of Truman and Truett, surnames built on the same Old English root for faithful.
trēowe (Old English) → true → Truman → Tru
How it traveled
The English word behind it is trēowe in Old English, meaning faithful or trustworthy, and it gave English the surname Truman — a faithful man — which later became a first name in its own right, along with Truett. Tru began life as the spoken shortening of those longer names, the kind of clip that never needed a spelling until someone wrote it down.
Vicente
conquering, prevailing
From Latin Vincentius, a derivative of vincere, 'to conquer'.
Vincentius → Vincent → Vicente
How it traveled
The Latin name Vincentius was popular among early Christians, for whom the idea of prevailing had a particular weight. Saint Vincent of Saragossa, a deacon martyred in the early fourth century, became patron of Lisbon and of Portugal, and Cape St Vincent on the Portuguese coast still carries his name — as São Vicente, the same name in Portuguese dress.
Where a reading is contested the note says so — this page does not turn a guess into a fact. The chain is each name's recorded forms, oldest first; the story is its opening, told in full on the name's own page.
Out loud, and in short
Tru
TROO
One syllable, exactly like the word "true". No regional variation to speak of.
Vicente
vee-SEN-teh
Stress on the middle syllable, and the final -e is sounded, not silent. Brazilian Portuguese softens the ending toward vee-SEN-chee; in most of Spain the c is a soft th, vee-THEN-teh.
- Vince — The everyday English-facing short form; also stands alone as a given name.
- Chente — A long-established Mexican Spanish hypocorism, informal and affectionate, used among family and friends.
- Vicentico — Spanish diminutive, informal; used for children and as a stage or nickname among adults.
- Vicen — Clipped Spanish form, informal, common in Spain.
Is it right for you
The differences that decide it, laid out by what you want
Choose by what you want
Choose Tru if you want…
- a name on the way upup 221 places on the charts in five years
- a name with fewer syllablesTru is 1 syllable to Vicente's 3
- a name that stays wholeno recorded short form for Tru
- a name that feels very nowTru is climbing the charts fast
Choose Vicente if you want…
- a name with more sound in itVicente runs 3 syllables, Tru 1
- plenty of nickname options4 recorded short forms — Vince, Chente and Vicentico
- a name that ages quietlyan estimated 30% chance of feeling dated by 2040, against 52% for Tru
Each line is a measured difference between the two names — a rank, a count, a recorded form — never a judgement of either. Save the one that answers your question; it lands on your shortlist.
The trade-offs, name by name
Tru
Strengths
- Read correctly on sight by anyone who speaks English — three letters, one syllable, no ambiguity in the sound.
- Works both as a complete given name and as the natural short form if you ever want Truman or Truett on the birth certificate.
- Sits comfortably on a child of either sex, with no change in spelling or pronunciation.
To consider
- The missing final "e" will be supplied by other people for life. Expect "True" on forms, coffee cups and class lists, and a lifetime of gentle spelling corrections.
- Virtue words invite comment. A name that means faithful will draw the occasional pun from teachers, coaches and colleagues, most of it good-natured but steady.
- Its rise is very recent, which cuts both ways: almost certainly the only Tru in the school, and also a name that will read as belonging to this particular moment.
Vicente
Strengths
- Works unchanged in Spanish, Portuguese and English-speaking settings, with Vincent as the ready English counterpart.
- Spelled the way it sounds in Spanish, and short enough to write early: seven letters, no silent quirks.
- Carries centuries of established short forms — Vince for English contexts, Chente and Vicentico for family ones.
To consider
- English speakers often flatten the ending to 'vih-SENT' or reach for Vincent instead. Most families settle into one correction and let the rest go.
- The soft-c difference between Spain and Latin America means the name is said two ways by people who both consider theirs correct — worth deciding which you use at home.
- It is uncommon enough here that a child is unlikely to meet another. That means no last-initial in the classroom, and also a name that has to be spelled out on the phone now and then.
Documented properties of each name — how it spells, travels and shortens — not opinions about the child.
How each is likely to age
Tru
52%chance Tru feels dated by 2040
Tru is climbing fast right now. Steep climbs tend to come with steep descents — the quicker a name arrives, the more firmly it belongs to its moment.
Vicente
30%chance Vicente feels dated by 2040
Vicente is on its second act. Revived names age gently: the generation that wore them first is far enough away that the name feels classic rather than dated.
A reading of where each name sits on the long naming cycle — computed, not measured, and explained on the data page.
With your last name
Say both in full. The notes are facts about letters and sound — a rhyme, a shared initial, the monogram — not a verdict on either name.
Type a last name to hear Tru and Vicente in full.
Weighing the whole shortlist? Run the full comparison — up to eight names with your last name, initials, classroom projections and a printable report.
Decide together
Nobody names a baby alone
Still torn between Tru and Vicente?
Put both to the vote.
One link to your partner, your parents, your sister. Each of them gets the two names, a one-tap answer and room to say why — and every reply lands in one place.
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More than two in the running? Settle it with a bracket or run the full comparison with your last name.
More head-to-heads
Same measures, different pair. Sixty more are dealt daily in the arena.
Lists these names appear on
- Three-letter names: tiny and complete
- Borrowed from the girls: names boys are taking back
- The best baby names starting with T
- Vintage names making a comeback
- all guides
Where Tru and Vicente each sit in the library — alternatives in the same style, ranked by the same records.
Tru or Vicente — the short answers
- Which is more popular, Tru or Vicente?
- Vicente, in 2025: Vicente ranked #589 with 498 babies; Tru ranked #591 with 496 babies.
- Which name is rising faster, Tru or Vicente?
- Tru. Over the last five years Tru moved up 221 places; Vicente moved up 175 places.
- Which is the older name, Tru or Vicente?
- Tru entered the US charts in 1995; Vicente entered the US charts in 1882. On the American record, Vicente is the older name.
- How many people are named Tru and Vicente?
- About 3,800 people named Tru are estimated to be alive in the US today. About 19,000 people named Vicente are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- Will there be other Trus or Vicentes in the classroom?
- Tru will almost certainly be the only one in school. Vicente will almost certainly be the only one in school.
US figures from the Social Security Administration, 1880–2025. Votes are battle voters on this site, not the birth record. Data & methodology
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