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

Thames, 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 Thames surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Thames in America

Thames is the 4654th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Thames surname appeared 7,619 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname Thames.

We can also compare 2010 data for Thames 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 Thames

The surname THAMES is of English origin and is believed to have derived from the name of the River Thames, which flows through southern England. The river's name is thought to come from the Celtic word "Tamesas," meaning "dark." This suggests that the surname THAMES may have originally been a locational name, given to someone who lived near the river.

One of the earliest recorded examples of the surname THAMES can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1176, where a person named William de Thamis is mentioned. The "de" prefix in this entry indicates that William was from a place called Thamis, which was likely an early spelling of Thames.

In the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, a William de la Thamise is listed, further reinforcing the connection between the surname and the river. The "de la" prefix in this case means "of the," suggesting that William was from the area near the River Thames.

During the 14th century, the surname THAMES appears in various records, including the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327, where a John atte Thamise is recorded. The "atte" prefix in this case means "at the," indicating that John lived near the River Thames.

One notable historical figure with the surname THAMES was Sir John Thames (1471-1531), a member of the English gentry and a Member of Parliament for Essex in the early 16th century.

Another person of note was Edward Thames (1569-1629), an English churchman who served as the Bishop of Dover from 1619 until his death.

In the 17th century, the surname THAMES is found in various parish records, such as the marriage of Richard Thames and Mary Smith in 1685 in the parish of St. Giles Without Cripplegate, London.

During the 18th century, the THAMES surname continued to be recorded in various parts of England, including the birth of John Thames in 1732 in the parish of St. Mary's, Islington, London.

In the 19th century, a notable figure with the surname THAMES was Sir Edgar Thomas Thames (1828-1901), a British colonial administrator who served as the Governor of British Guiana from 1885 to 1892.

While the surname THAMES is not as common as some other English surnames, it has a rich history dating back centuries and is closely tied to the iconic River Thames, which has played a significant role in the development of England.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Thames

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

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

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

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