2010
#132,206
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 128
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Thaniel
A variant spelling of the name Nathaniel, derived from Hebrew meaning "God has given".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 128 Americans carry the last name Thaniel. That puts it at #147,954 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,677,768 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Thaniel 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.
Bearers in the US
128
1 in 2,677,768
Census rank
#147,954
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
112
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 112 bearers of the surname Thaniel in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147954th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Thaniel, the largest self-reported group is Black at 83.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.1%) and Hispanic (5.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Thaniel
The surname THANIEL is believed to have originated in England during the Middle Ages. It is likely derived from the Old English words "thane" and "hield," which together translate to "noble guardian" or "protector of nobility." The name was initially used to refer to individuals who held positions of authority or served as personal bodyguards for members of the aristocracy.
The earliest recorded mention of the THANIEL surname can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of land ownership and taxation commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. This document lists several individuals bearing the name, indicating that it was already in use by the 11th century.
One of the earliest known bearers of the THANIEL surname was Sir Robert THANIEL, a knight who fought alongside King Richard I during the Third Crusade in the late 12th century. Another notable figure was Lady Elizabeth THANIEL, who served as a lady-in-waiting to Queen Elizabeth I in the 16th century.
During the medieval period, the THANIEL name was often associated with specific locations, leading to the emergence of variations such as THANIEL of Devonshire or THANIEL of Yorkshire. These place-names reflected the areas where different branches of the THANIEL family resided.
In the 17th century, the THANIEL surname gained further prominence with the exploits of Captain John THANIEL, a renowned explorer and navigator who sailed with the British East India Company. His voyages to the Indian subcontinent and the East Indies contributed to the expansion of British trade and influence in the region.
Another notable THANIEL was William THANIEL (1673-1745), a prominent architect who designed several notable buildings in London, including the St. Paul's Church in Covent Garden and the Radcliffe Camera at the University of Oxford.
As the centuries passed, the THANIEL surname continued to be carried by individuals from diverse backgrounds, including scholars, artists, and military personnel. One such figure was Major General Thomas THANIEL (1812-1891), a highly decorated British Army officer who served in the Crimean War and the Indian Rebellion of 1857.
While the THANIEL name has undergone various spelling variations over time, its origins can be traced back to the Middle Ages, reflecting the rich history and cultural significance associated with this English surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Thaniel
Among Census respondents with the surname Thaniel, the largest self-reported group is Black at 83.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.1%) and Hispanic (5.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Thaniel 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 Thaniel surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American83.9% · 94
- Two or more races7.1% · 8
- Hispanic or Latino5.4% · 6
- White2.7% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Thaniel
Thaniel appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#147,954
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
-16 bearers (-12.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 15,748 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #132,206 | 128 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #147,954 | 112 | 0.04 | -16 bearers (-12.5%) | Down 15,748 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 Thaniel 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 | #132,206 | #147,954 | -11.9% |
| Count | 128 | 112 | -12.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Thaniel bearers went from 128 to 112 (-12.5% change). The surname moved down 15,748 positions in the national ranking, going from #132,206 to #147,954.
FAQ
Thaniel surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Thaniel?
Name Census estimates that about 128 living Americans carry the surname Thaniel. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,677,768 residents.
How common is Thaniel?
Thaniel ranks #147,954 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 112 people with the surname Thaniel. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (128), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Thaniel.
Has Thaniel become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Thaniel went from 128 recorded bearers to 112. That is a decrease of 16 (-12.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #132,206 to #147,954.
What does the Census say about the background of Thaniel?
Among Census respondents with the surname Thaniel, the largest self-reported group is Black at 83.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.1%) and Hispanic (5.4%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Thaniel in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.9% (94 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Thaniel appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (83.9%), Two or More Races (7.1%), Hispanic (5.4%). 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 Thaniel (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 Thaniel mean?
A variant spelling of the name Nathaniel, derived from Hebrew meaning "God has given". 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 Thaniel (0.04 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 are called Thaniel?
If you just want to know how many people have the surname Thaniel, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.