Titus peaked in 2015 at rank 383 with 25,883 total American boys carrying the name, a clear mid-2010s climb that fits the broader Latin-and-biblical revival alongside Atticus, Augustus, and Cassius. The trajectory has held steady through the late 2010s and 2020s, suggesting Titus has settled into a stable mid-chart presence.
The Roman and biblical bearer
Titus comes from the Latin praenomen Titus, an ancient Roman first name of uncertain etymology, possibly derived from a Sabine word meaning "defender" or related to the verb tueri ("to protect"). The name was borne by Roman emperor Titus (39-81 CE), who completed the Colosseum and led the siege of Jerusalem in 70 CE, and by Saint Titus, the early Christian missionary and companion of Paul to whom the New Testament Epistle to Titus is addressed.
The biblical-and-Roman dual heritage gives Titus an unusually rich cultural register: it carries weight in Christian families through the Pauline epistle while also reading as a classical-revival choice for parents drawn to Roman names. Other notable bearers include Titus Andronicus, the protagonist of Shakespeare's tragedy, and Titus Welliver, the actor of Bosch.
The Roman classical cohort
Titus pairs comfortably with other Latin-rooted boy names rising in the 2010s and 2020s: Atticus, Augustus, Cassius, and Maximus share the classical-revival register. The compact two-syllable shape and the hard T opening give Titus a sharp, decisive feel that contrasts with the longer multisyllabic Latin choices like Maximilian or Augustus.
The counter-reading
The honest consideration with Titus is the strong gladiator-and-emperor association: the name carries imperial Roman weight that can feel heavy on a small child, and the Shakespeare tragedy adds a notably violent literary overlay. The biblical Titus moderates this for Christian families. Browse Latin names for related classical choices, or compare with rising names for the broader cohort. Sibling pairings work well across classical registers: Titus and Penelope, Titus and Atticus, Titus and Cordelia.