2000
#3,531
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,240
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.43
Uncommon Last name
Thatcher
An occupational surname referring to a person who thatched roofs with straw, reeds, or palm leaves.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 10,837 Americans carry the last name Thatcher. That puts it at #3,662 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.16 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 31,628 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Thatcher 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 Thatcher with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
11K
1 in 31,628
Census rank
#3,662
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
9.4K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 9,450 bearers of the surname Thatcher in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.16 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3662nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Thatcher, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.2%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Thatcher
The surname Thatcher originated in England during the medieval period. It derived from the Old English word 'thaeccere', meaning a roofer or thatcher, referring to someone who thatched roofs with straw or reed. The name was especially common in the southern counties of England, particularly in rural areas where thatched roofs were prevalent.
The earliest known record of the surname Thatcher dates back to the late 12th century, appearing in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1195. The Pipe Rolls were a series of financial records maintained by the English Exchequer, providing valuable insights into the names and occupations of individuals during that time.
In the 13th century, the surname Thatcher was found in various spellings, such as 'le Thaccher', 'Thaccher', and 'Thachare', reflecting regional variations in pronunciation and spelling. The name also appeared in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, a census-like record of landowners and their properties.
One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Thatcher was Thomas Thatcher, a member of the Worshipful Company of Brewers in London, who lived around 1400. Another notable figure was Richard Thatcher, a merchant from Bristol who served as the city's mayor in 1507.
During the Tudor period, the Thatcher surname gained prominence with the birth of Thomas Thatcher in 1512. He was a renowned Protestant minister and one of the first Puritans in England. His son, Thomas Thatcher Jr., born in 1620, was a key figure in the early settlement of New England, serving as the first pastor of the Old South Church in Boston.
In the 17th century, the name Thatcher appeared in various historical records, including the Hearth Tax returns of 1665 and the Protestation Returns of 1642. These documents provide valuable insights into the distribution and occupations of Thatcher families across England.
One of the most famous individuals with the surname Thatcher was Margaret Thatcher, born in 1925. She served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990 and was the longest-serving British prime minister of the 20th century. Her tenure was marked by significant economic reforms and her unwavering leadership during the Falklands War.
Other notable individuals with the Thatcher surname include Benjamin Thatcher, an American poet and journalist born in 1809, and Oliver Thatcher, an American architect and engineer born in 1857, who designed several notable buildings in Chicago.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Thatcher
Among Census respondents with the surname Thatcher, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.2%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Thatcher 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 Thatcher surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.9% · 8,400
- Hispanic or Latino5.2% · 487
- Two or more races3.1% · 294
- Black or African American1.5% · 142
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 77
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 50
Timeline
Historical Census data for Thatcher
Thatcher 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
#3,644
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,752
+512 bearers (+5.5%)
Per 100,000 3.31
Rank movement Down 113 places
2020
#3,662
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,450
-302 bearers (-3.1%)
Per 100,000 3.16
Rank movement Down 18 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,531 | 9,240 | 3.43 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,644 | 9,752 | 3.31 | +512 bearers (+5.5%) | Down 113 places |
| 2020 | #3,662 | 9,450 | 3.16 | -302 bearers (-3.1%) | Down 18 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 Thatcher 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 | #3,644 | #3,662 | -0.5% |
| Count | 9,752 | 9,450 | -3.1% |
| Per 100K | 3.31 | 3.16 | -4.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Thatcher bearers went from 9,752 to 9,450 (-3.1% change). The surname moved down 18 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,644 to #3,662.
FAQ
Thatcher surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Thatcher?
Name Census estimates that about 10,837 living Americans carry the surname Thatcher. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 31,628 residents.
How common is Thatcher?
Thatcher ranks #3,662 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.16 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 9,450 people with the surname Thatcher. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (10,837), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.16 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.16 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Thatcher.
Has Thatcher become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Thatcher went from 9,752 recorded bearers to 9,450. That is a decrease of 302 (-3.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,644 to #3,662.
What does the Census say about the background of Thatcher?
Among Census respondents with the surname Thatcher, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.2%) and Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Thatcher in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.9% (8,400 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Thatcher appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.9%), Hispanic (5.2%), Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Thatcher (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 Thatcher mean?
An occupational surname referring to a person who thatched roofs with 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 Thatcher (3.16 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 Thatcher?
See how many people have the surname Thatcher on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.