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

Thaxton, 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 Thaxton surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Thaxton in America

Thaxton is the 7104th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Thaxton surname appeared 4,711 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Thaxton.

We can also compare 2010 data for Thaxton 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 Thaxton

The surname Thaxton is of English origin, believed to have originated in Staffordshire, England, during the medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Old English words "thac" meaning "thatch" and "tun" meaning "town," suggesting it may have referred to a person from a thatched village or settlement.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is listed as "Thacstun." This suggests the name was already in use during the Norman Conquest of England in the 11th century.

In the 13th century, records show variations of the spelling, including "Thakeston" and "Thaxston." These variations likely resulted from regional dialects and the evolving nature of the English language over time.

One notable figure bearing the Thaxton surname was Sir John Thaxton (c. 1470-1542), a prominent English courtier and diplomat during the reign of Henry VIII. He served as the Keeper of the Great Wardrobe and was involved in various diplomatic missions to France and the Holy Roman Empire.

Another historical figure with this surname was William Thaxton (1568-1626), an English clergyman and academic who served as the Master of Pembroke College, Cambridge, from 1615 until his death.

In the 17th century, the name appears in records related to the English Civil War. Captain Richard Thaxton (1620-1680) was a Royalist officer who fought for King Charles I and was later pardoned by Oliver Cromwell after the Parliamentarian victory.

During the 18th century, the Thaxton surname was found in various parts of England, including Staffordshire, Warwickshire, and Worcestershire. One notable individual from this period was Samuel Thaxton (1742-1817), an English architect who designed several notable buildings in Bath and Bristol.

In the 19th century, the Thaxton name gained some prominence in the United States, where several individuals bearing this surname made notable contributions. One such figure was William Thaxton (1806-1879), a prominent lawyer and politician from Virginia who served as a judge and as a member of the Virginia General Assembly.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Thaxton

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

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

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

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