2010
#157,234
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Firethunder
A surname combining the natural elements of fire and thunder, suggesting power or intensity.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 123 Americans carry the last name Firethunder. That puts it at #151,639 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,786,621 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Firethunder surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
123
1 in 2,786,621
Census rank
#151,639
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
107
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 107 bearers of the surname Firethunder in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 151639th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Firethunder, the largest self-reported group is American Indian/Alaska Native at 81.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.3%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Firethunder
The surname FIRETHUNDER is of Old Norse origin, derived from the words "fyr," meaning fire, and "þundr," meaning thunder. It is believed to have originated in the Viking settlements of present-day Norway, Iceland, and the surrounding regions during the 9th and 10th centuries.
The name's roots can be traced back to the ancient Norse mythology, where the god Thor was often depicted wielding lightning bolts and associated with thunderstorms. The combination of fire and thunder was likely used to describe a powerful and awe-inspiring individual or a fierce warrior.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name FIRETHUNDER can be found in the Icelandic Sagas, which were written in the 13th and 14th centuries. These sagas narrate the lives and deeds of Viking settlers and their descendants in Iceland, and the name is mentioned in connection with a renowned chieftain from the Westfjords region.
In the late 15th century, a variant spelling of the name, "Fyrthundr," appeared in a manuscript documenting the genealogies of prominent families in the Faroe Islands. This suggests that the name had spread to the North Atlantic islands colonized by the Vikings.
During the Viking Age, the FIRETHUNDER name was likely associated with individuals known for their strength, courage, and prowess in battle. One notable figure bearing this surname was Eirik FIRETHUNDER, a legendary Norse explorer who is said to have led expeditions to Greenland and the eastern coasts of present-day Canada around the year 1000 CE.
Another historical figure with this surname was Ingrid FIRETHUNDER, a powerful chieftain's daughter from the Lofoten Islands in Norway, who was renowned for her skill in navigation and seafaring in the late 11th century.
In the 13th century, a prominent Viking warrior named Torbjorn FIRETHUNDER was recorded as leading a successful raid against a rival clan in the Shetland Islands. His exploits were documented in the Orkneyinga Saga, a historical narrative of the Norse earls of Orkney.
During the 16th century, a variant spelling of the name, "Fyrrthundr," appeared in a record of land grants in the Icelandic Alþingi (parliament), indicating that the name had endured and spread across the island over the centuries.
One of the last notable historical figures bearing the FIRETHUNDER surname was Gudrun FIRETHUNDER, a respected skald (poet) and storyteller from the Westman Islands of Iceland, who lived in the late 17th century and was renowned for her preservation of ancient Norse traditions and folklore.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Firethunder
Among Census respondents with the surname Firethunder, the largest self-reported group is American Indian/Alaska Native at 81.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.3%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Firethunder bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Firethunder surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- American Indian and Alaska Native81.3% · 87
- Hispanic or Latino9.3% · 10
- Two or more races4.7% · 5
- White3.7% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Firethunder
Firethunder appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#151,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
+4 bearers (+3.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 5,595 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #157,234 | 103 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #151,639 | 107 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+3.9%) | Up 5,595 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Firethunder surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #157,234 | #151,639 | 3.6% |
| Count | 103 | 107 | 3.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 19.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Firethunder bearers went from 103 to 107 (+3.9% change). The surname moved up 5,595 positions in the national ranking, going from #157,234 to #151,639.
FAQ
Firethunder surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Firethunder?
Name Census estimates that about 123 living Americans carry the surname Firethunder. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,786,621 residents.
How common is Firethunder?
Firethunder ranks #151,639 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 107 people with the surname Firethunder. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (123), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Firethunder.
Has Firethunder become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Firethunder went from 103 recorded bearers to 107. That is an increase of 4 (+3.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #157,234 to #151,639.
What does the Census say about the background of Firethunder?
Among Census respondents with the surname Firethunder, the largest self-reported group is American Indian/Alaska Native at 81.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.3%) and Two or More Races (4.7%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
American Indian/Alaska Native is the largest self-reported group for the surname Firethunder in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.3% (87 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Firethunder appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are American Indian/Alaska Native (81.3%), Hispanic (9.3%), Two or More Races (4.7%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Firethunder (2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Firethunder mean?
A surname combining the natural elements of fire and thunder, suggesting power or intensity. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Firethunder (0.04 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the surname Firethunder?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.