Thornwell
From the Old English, denoting a dweller by a thorn tree meadow.
Name Census estimates that about 0 living Americans carry the first name Thornwell. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Thornwell today is around 0 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Thornwell births was 1919 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Thornwell. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Thornwell. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
0
~ - Americans
Peak year
1919
5 babies that year
Average age
-
1919 SSA rank
#4,747
Tracked since 1919
Popularity
Thornwell: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Thornwell by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Thornwell during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1910s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Thornwell
The name Thornwell is of English origin, derived from the combination of the Old English words "thorn" meaning a thorny bush or bramble, and "well" referring to a spring or source of water. This name likely originated in the Middle Ages, possibly as a topographic surname describing someone who lived near a thorny well or spring.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Thornwell dates back to the 16th century. Robert Thornwell (1540-1607) was an English landowner and Member of Parliament from Nottinghamshire during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.
In the 17th century, James Thornwell (1632-1694) was an English Presbyterian minister and theologian who served as a chaplain in the Commonwealth of England under Oliver Cromwell.
During the 18th century, Samuel Thornwell (1720-1785) was a notable American Presbyterian minister and educator who served as the first President of the College of Charleston in South Carolina.
In the 19th century, James Henley Thornwell (1812-1862) was a prominent American Presbyterian minister, theologian, and author. He served as the President of the South Carolina College (now the University of South Carolina) and was a staunch defender of Southern nationalism during the American Civil War.
Another notable figure with the name Thornwell was James Rion Thornwell (1863-1938), an American politician who served as the 68th Governor of South Carolina from 1933 to 1937.
The name Thornwell has been primarily associated with individuals of English and American heritage, particularly those with roots in the Southern United States. While not a particularly common name, it has been carried on by various individuals throughout history, often within the realms of religion, education, and politics.
People
Thornwell + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Thornwell as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with T
Other first names starting with T with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Thornwell: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Thornwell?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 0 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Thornwell going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about - US residents.
Is Thornwell a common name?
We classify Thornwell as "Very Rare". It ranks above 2.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Thornwell most popular?
The single biggest year for Thornwell was 1919, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Thornwell is about 0 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Thornwell in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Thornwell a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Thornwell in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Thornwell still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Thornwell in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Thornwell can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people have the name Thornwell?
Want to know how many people share the name Thornwell? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.