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Name Lineage

    The first name Talbot

    A boy’s name from French meaning “bandit”, “valley”, “dale”.

    Pronounced /ˈtɔːlbət/ 2 syllables Male Also a surname

    Meaning and origin

    French origin

    Talbot means “bandit”, “valley”, “dale” in French.

    From Middle English talbot, from Old French talebot (“bandit”); a Norman nickname applied to robbers who blackened their faces to avoid recognition, from Old High German *Talbald (personal name), from Old High German tal (“valley, dale”) + bald (“bold, courageous”).

    More names that mean brave.

    From Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

    Popularity in the United States

    Babies named Talbot at birth, 1880–2025

    In 2020, 6 boys born in the United States were named Talbot, the 11,861st most popular boys’ name that year. It was used most in 1969, when 14 were.

    01020 188018851890189519001905191019151920192519301935194019451950195519601965197019751980198519901995200020052010201520202025
    461
    babies named Talbot since 1880
    #11,861
    rank in 2020
    1969
    peak year

    US Social Security Administration, from applications for a Social Security card. A name is only published for a year when at least five babies were given it, so quieter years show as zero.

    Nicknames and spellings

    Other spellings and forms

    • Talbott
    • Talbut
    • Talbutt
    • Taulbut

    Famous people named Talbot

    8 on Wikidata, most written-about first

    • Talbot Mundy
      British writer, born William Lancaster Gribbon (1879-1940)
    • Talbot Baines Reed
      English author (1852-1893)
    • Talbot Hobbs
      Australian military general and architect (1864-1938)
    • Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury
      British politician and prime minister (1830-1903)
    • Francis Day
      British army surgeon, naturalist, ichthyologist and scientific illustrator (1829-1889)
    • Arnold Wilson
      Diplomat (1884-1940)
    • Percival Molson
      Canadian ice hockey player (1880-1917)
    • Robin Johnstone
      British coxswain (1901–1976)

    More French boys’ names

    All 210 names of French origin

    Questions

    What does the name Talbot mean?
    Talbot means “bandit”, “valley”, “dale” in French.
    What is the origin of the name Talbot?
    From Middle English talbot, from Old French talebot (“bandit”); a Norman nickname applied to robbers who blackened their faces to avoid recognition, from Old High German *Talbald (personal name), from Old High German tal (“valley, dale”) + bald (“bold, courageous”).
    Is Talbot a boy's or a girl's name?
    Mostly a boy's name: 98% of the 461 US babies named Talbot since 1880 were boys.
    When was Talbot most popular?
    1969 in the United States, when 14 babies were named Talbot, its highest rank at 2,404th.
    How do you pronounce Talbot?
    Talbot is /ˈtɔːlbət/, 2 syllables.
    What are other spellings of Talbot?
    Talbott, Talbut, Talbutt and Taulbut.
    Is Talbot also a surname?
    Yes. Talbot is used as a surname as well as a first name; its surname page has the origin and how many people carry it.