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Thoreau

THOR-o, thor-OH
French
"strength of a bull"
Linda Rosenkrantz
By Linda Rosenkrantz
Updated Wed Oct 01 2025

Thoreau Origin and Meaning

The name Thoreau is a boy's name of French origin meaning "strength of a bull".

A dashing French surname name most famously borne by Henry David Thoreau, an American naturalist, writer and philosopher who influenced such notable figures as Leo Tolstoy, Mahatma Gandhi, and Martin Luther King Jr. The most common modern American pronunciation is "thor-OH", with emphasis on the final syllable, although Thoreau himself pronounced it "THOR-oh".

The origins of the surname are not entirely clear, although one possibility is that it derives from a diminutive form of the Old French tor, meaning "bull" (the root of the modern French word taureau). A fitting choice for a Taurus baby boy!

Thoreau may also be related to the Norse name Thor "thunder", or to the Germanic name Theodoric and its French form Thierry "ruler of the people".

With its on-trend sound and literary pedigree, Thoreau certainly makes for a rare but appealing choice. Zac and Kate Hanson used it as a middle name for their fifth child, born in 2021.

Popularity of the name Thoreau

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Famous People Named Thoreau

  • Henry David Thoreau
    American writer and philosopher