Torry
Masculine
Torry is given to both — 1,460 boys and 236 girls since 1880. See other names given to both
Torry has three possible parents and no way to choose between them. It can be a short form of Torrance or of Salvatore, a spelling of a Scottish word for a rocky hill, or a version of the political word that is one letter away. Each gives a different answer about what the name means, and a certificate records only the letters.
How old is the name Torry?
Torry first appears in US birth records in 1946 — 79 years ago. The typical Torry alive today was born around 1983, making them about 42 years old. About 1,400 people named Torry are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Torry most popular?
Torry peaked in 1976, reaching #990 nationally. See the whole 1976 chart.
Where it comes from
From An Irish word for a pursuer and then an outlaw to Torry
The story of Torry
Both English parties were named by their enemies and both kept the insult. One side called the other after Irish outlaws; the other side responded by calling them after Scottish cattle drovers, a word which had also come to mean a sort of extreme Presbyterian rebel. Neither name meant anything complimentary, both were meant to associate the opponent with a violent and disreputable fringe, and both stuck for three centuries. That is a surprisingly common pattern in political naming: a term of abuse is more memorable than a term of self-description, and a group that adopts an insult takes the sting out of it. The same thing happened to the Quakers, the Methodists and a long list of others.
Meaningnot established
Not established
As a personal name the source is not established: it may be a short form of Torrance or Salvatore, a spelling of a Scottish place name meaning a hill, or a variant of the political word. Each carries a different meaning and the spelling records none of them. The Irish word behind the political term is well documented and is not necessarily behind the name.
How the name formed
- An Irish word for a pursuer and then an outlaw
- Adopted as an English political insult in the sixteen seventies
- Kept by the party it was aimed at
- Torry as an American first name for both sexes
Pronouncing Torry
TOR-ee
Two syllables, stress on the first, with the doubled r keeping the vowel short. It is said identically to the political word, which has one r, and the difference is entirely a matter of paperwork.
Nicknames for Torry
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1946
- Most boys named
- 197671 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #990reached in 1976
- Change vs 2020
- +100.0%10 in 2022, from 5
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Torrys among us
people named Torry are estimated to be alive in the US today
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
Questions parents actually ask
Fashion outlook
Torry sits outside the current charts, and that is its own kind of answer: naming cycles can only date the names they carried up. A name this rare has no decade stamped on it — it cannot go out of fashion, because it was never in.
Based on 146 years of naming cycles. How we read them
The trade-off
- It is short, warm and impossible to mispronounce.
- It works on the register for either child, which the record confirms.
- It functions as a full name and as a short form at once.
- In Britain the word names a political party, which is unavoidable there.
- Tori, Torrie and Torey are all in circulation and yours will be confused with them.
- There is no established origin, and three candidates give three different meanings.
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What they receive
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Torry
Masculine
Frequently asked
- How many Torrys are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 1,400 people named Torry are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Torry in 2025?
- Torry is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 boy names.
- Will my child share the name Torry with classmates?
- Torry will almost certainly be the only one in school.
More T names
The most-given names starting with T, all years combined.
Thomas#34 · Timothy#203 · Tyler#219 · Terry#1115 · Theodore#4 · Travis#434 · Todd#1609 · Tony#783
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Torry? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Torry and another name?
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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