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

Thau, 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 Thau surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Thau in America

Thau is the 46568th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Thau surname appeared 457 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 Thau.

We can also compare 2010 data for Thau 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 Thau

The surname THAU is believed to have originated in Germany, with its roots dating back to the 16th century. The name is thought to be derived from the Old German word "tau," which translates to "dew" or "moisture." This suggests that the name may have been initially associated with individuals living in areas with abundant dew or moist conditions.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname THAU can be found in the Kirchenbücher (church records) of the town of Wittenberg, dating back to the late 1500s. These records mention a family by the name of THAU residing in the area during that time period.

In the 17th century, the name THAU appeared in various historical documents across different regions of Germany. For example, the Mannheim Chronicles, a compilation of records from the city of Mannheim, mentions a merchant named Johannes THAU who was engaged in the wine trade during the early 1600s.

As the name spread across Germany, it also underwent various spelling variations, such as THAUW, THAUE, and THAUEN. These variations likely emerged due to regional dialects and the inconsistent spelling practices of the time.

Notable individuals bearing the surname THAU throughout history include:

1. Friedrich THAU (1770-1843), a German philosopher and author who wrote extensively on metaphysics and ethics.
2. Anna THAU (1856-1914), a renowned German painter known for her landscape and portrait works.
3. Gustav THAU (1892-1967), a German-born American chess master and author of several books on chess strategy.
4. Bernhard THAU (1912-1994), a German-American physicist who made significant contributions to the field of nuclear physics.
5. Elisabeth THAU (1923-2008), a German-born American author and playwright, best known for her autobiographical works exploring the experiences of Jewish immigrants during World War II.

While the surname THAU has its roots in Germany, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and cultural exchange. However, its origins can be traced back to the Old German language and the regions of Germany where it first emerged as a family name.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Thau

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

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

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

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