2000
#1,607
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 20,531
First available Census row
Per 100,000 7.61
Uncommon Last name
Thacker
An English occupational surname referring to a thatcher, one who thatches roofs using straw, reeds, or palm leaves.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 23,520 Americans carry the last name Thacker. That puts it at #1,711 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 6.86 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 14,573 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Thacker 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Thacker with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
24K
1 in 14,573
Census rank
#1,711
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
6.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
21K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 20,511 bearers of the surname Thacker in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 6.86 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1711th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Thacker, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.5%. The next largest groups are Black (5.0%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Thacker
Among Census respondents with the surname Thacker, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.5%. The next largest groups are Black (5.0%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Thacker 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 Thacker surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.5% · 17,748
- Black or African American5.0% · 1,023
- Two or more races4.0% · 812
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 504
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.6% · 333
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 91
Timeline
Historical Census data for Thacker
Thacker appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#1,677
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 21,512
+981 bearers (+4.8%)
Per 100,000 7.29
Rank movement Down 70 places
2020
#1,711
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 20,511
-1,001 bearers (-4.7%)
Per 100,000 6.86
Rank movement Down 34 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,607 | 20,531 | 7.61 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,677 | 21,512 | 7.29 | +981 bearers (+4.8%) | Down 70 places |
| 2020 | #1,711 | 20,511 | 6.86 | -1,001 bearers (-4.7%) | Down 34 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 Thacker 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 | #1,677 | #1,711 | -2.0% |
| Count | 21,512 | 20,511 | -4.7% |
| Per 100K | 7.29 | 6.86 | -5.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Thacker bearers went from 21,512 to 20,511 (-4.7% change). The surname moved down 34 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,677 to #1,711.
FAQ
Thacker surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Thacker?
Name Census estimates that about 23,520 living Americans carry the surname Thacker. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 14,573 residents.
How common is Thacker?
Thacker ranks #1,711 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 6.86 per 100,000 residents, which is about 7 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 20,511 people with the surname Thacker. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (23,520), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 6.86 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 6.86 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 7 of them to have the surname Thacker.
Has Thacker become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Thacker went from 21,512 recorded bearers to 20,511. That is a decrease of 1,001 (-4.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,677 to #1,711.
What does the Census say about the background of Thacker?
Among Census respondents with the surname Thacker, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.5%. The next largest groups are Black (5.0%) and Two or More Races (4.0%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Thacker in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.5% (17,748 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Thacker appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.5%), Black (5.0%), Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Thacker (2000, 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 Thacker mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a thatcher, one who thatches roofs using straw, reeds, or palm leaves. 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 Thacker (6.86 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 share the surname Thacker?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.