2000
#6,871
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,510
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.67
Rare Last name
Thaxton
Derived from a place name meaning "thatched town" in Old English, referring to a town with thatched roofs.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,157 Americans carry the last name Thaxton. That puts it at #7,164 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.50 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 66,464 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Thaxton 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 Thaxton with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.2K
1 in 66,464
Census rank
#7,164
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,497 bearers of the surname Thaxton in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.50 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7164th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Thaxton, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.9%. The next largest groups are Black (20.2%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Thaxton
Among Census respondents with the surname Thaxton, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.9%. The next largest groups are Black (20.2%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Thaxton 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 Thaxton surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White70.9% · 3,190
- Black or African American20.2% · 908
- Two or more races4.6% · 209
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 132
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 39
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 19
Timeline
Historical Census data for Thaxton
Thaxton 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
#7,104
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,711
+201 bearers (+4.5%)
Per 100,000 1.60
Rank movement Down 233 places
2020
#7,164
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,497
-214 bearers (-4.5%)
Per 100,000 1.50
Rank movement Down 60 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,871 | 4,510 | 1.67 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,104 | 4,711 | 1.60 | +201 bearers (+4.5%) | Down 233 places |
| 2020 | #7,164 | 4,497 | 1.50 | -214 bearers (-4.5%) | Down 60 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 Thaxton 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 | #7,104 | #7,164 | -0.8% |
| Count | 4,711 | 4,497 | -4.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.60 | 1.50 | -6.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Thaxton bearers went from 4,711 to 4,497 (-4.5% change). The surname moved down 60 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,104 to #7,164.
FAQ
Thaxton surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Thaxton?
Name Census estimates that about 5,157 living Americans carry the surname Thaxton. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 66,464 residents.
How common is Thaxton?
Thaxton ranks #7,164 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.50 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,497 people with the surname Thaxton. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,157), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.5 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.50 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Thaxton.
Has Thaxton become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Thaxton went from 4,711 recorded bearers to 4,497. That is a decrease of 214 (-4.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,104 to #7,164.
What does the Census say about the background of Thaxton?
Among Census respondents with the surname Thaxton, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.9%. The next largest groups are Black (20.2%) and Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Thaxton in the 2020 Census, accounting for 70.9% (3,190 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Thaxton appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (70.9%), Black (20.2%), Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Thaxton (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 Thaxton mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "thatched town" in Old English, referring to a town with thatched roofs. 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 Thaxton (1.50 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 have the surname Thaxton?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.