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

Thackeray, 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 Thackeray surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Thackeray in America

Thackeray is the 30735th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Thackeray surname appeared 758 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Thackeray.

We can also compare 2010 data for Thackeray 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 Thackeray

The surname Thackeray originated in England during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English words "thecce" meaning thatcher and "ray" meaning row or line, referring to a row of thatched cottages or a street where thatch workers lived. The name was initially an occupational surname given to those who crafted and laid thatched roofs.

One of the earliest recorded mentions of the surname is found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Thachere" in Lincolnshire. This document, commissioned by William the Conquer, was a comprehensive survey of landholdings and resources throughout England.

In the 13th century, the name appeared in various records with spellings such as "Thakkere," "Thakker," and "Thaccher." These variations reflect the phonetic spelling practices of the time before standardized spelling became more widespread.

Notable individuals with the surname Thackeray include William Makepeace Thackeray (1811-1863), a famous English novelist known for works like "Vanity Fair" and "The Luck of Barry Lyndon." His father, Richmond Thackeray (1781-1815), was a prominent bureaucrat in the East India Company.

Another notable figure was Sir Edward Talbot Thackeray (1836-1927), a British civil servant and administrator who served as the Governor of the Madras Presidency in British India from 1879 to 1886.

Francis Thackeray (1833-1909) was a British Anglican priest and author who wrote on ecclesiastical history and theology.

In the field of science, William Gascoigne Thackeray (1840-1909) was a British astronomer and chemist, known for his contributions to spectroscopy and the study of stellar atmospheres.

Moving to the 20th century, Michael Thackeray (1923-2019) was a British materials scientist renowned for his research on lithium-ion batteries and their applications in portable electronics.

The surname Thackeray has a rich history rooted in the occupational traditions of medieval England, evolving from a humble designation for thatch workers to being associated with notable figures in literature, civil service, religion, science, and other fields.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Thackeray

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

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 Thackeray 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 Thackeray 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 Thackeray was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Thackeray, 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!