Find out how popular the last name Thacker is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Thacker.

Thacker, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Thacker surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Thacker in America

Thacker is the 1677th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Thacker surname appeared 21,512 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 7 people would have the surname Thacker.

We can also compare 2010 data for Thacker to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Thacker

The surname Thacker originated in England, deriving from an occupational name for a thatcher, one who thatched roofs with straw or reeds. The name is derived from the Old English word 'thaeccere', meaning 'thatcher'. It is first recorded in the late 12th century in the form of 'Thomas le Thaeker' in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1199.

The surname was particularly prevalent in the counties of Yorkshire, Lancashire, and Cheshire, where thatching was a common trade. The earliest known bearer of the name was William Thacker, who is mentioned in the Assize Rolls of Staffordshire in 1292. In the 14th century, John Thacker is recorded as living in Wigan, Lancashire.

The Thacker name appears in several historical records, including the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is spelled as 'Theccer'. The Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327 also mention a John Thacker, while the Poll Tax Returns of Yorkshire in 1379 list a Robert Thacker.

Notable historical figures bearing the Thacker surname include Sir Edwin Thacker (1518-1590), a prominent English merchant and member of the Worshipful Company of Mercers in London. Another notable bearer was Robert Thacker (1582-1662), an English clergyman and author who served as the rector of St. Giles in the Fields, London.

In the literary world, Thomas Thacker (1620-1678) was an English bookseller and publisher who was known for publishing works by John Milton and other notable authors of his time. Thomas Thacker II (1693-1760), his son, continued the family's publishing business and was also a noted bibliographer.

Moving to America, one of the earliest recorded Thackers was John Thacker, who settled in Virginia in 1638. Another early American bearer of the name was Henry Thacker, who arrived in New England in 1634 and later moved to Virginia.

Throughout history, the Thacker surname has seen various spellings, including Thacker, Thaker, Thecker, and Thaeker, reflecting the regional variations in pronunciation and spelling conventions over time.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Thacker

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Thacker.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Thacker was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Thacker has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Thacker was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Thacker, please contact us.

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!