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

Than, 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 Than surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Than in America

Than is the 14930th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Than surname appeared 1,983 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Than.

We can also compare 2010 data for Than 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 Than

The surname THAN is believed to have originated in England during the late 12th century. It is thought to have derived from the Old English word "þæne" which means "the one". This word was often used as a descriptive term to identify individuals.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name THAN can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire, dated 1195. These rolls were a record of financial transactions made by the English Exchequer during the reign of King Richard I. The name appears several times, suggesting that it was relatively common in Yorkshire at the time.

In the 13th century, the name THAN is documented in the Hundredorum Rolls of Oxfordshire. These rolls were a survey of landholdings and tenants conducted in 1274-1275. The records show that a person named William THAN held land in the village of Ducklington.

One of the most notable individuals with the surname THAN in history was John THAN, a wealthy merchant from Bristol who lived during the 15th century (c. 1420-1490). He was a prominent member of the city's trading community and served as the Mayor of Bristol in 1471.

Another individual of note was Sir Thomas THAN (c. 1530-1590), an English nobleman and member of Parliament during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. He served as the High Sheriff of Gloucestershire in 1572 and was knighted by the Queen in 1585.

In the 17th century, the name THAN appears in the records of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. One of the earliest settlers with this surname was Richard THAN, who arrived in Boston in 1635 from Dorset, England.

Another notable figure was Peter THAN (1671-1735), a farmer and landowner in the colony of Virginia. He was among the first settlers of what is now Orange County, Virginia, and his descendants continued to live in the area for generations.

The surname THAN has also been associated with several place names in England, including Thanet in Kent and Thame in Oxfordshire. These place names may have influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname over time.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Than

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

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

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

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