2000
#2,014
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,496
First available Census row
Per 100,000 6.12
Uncommon Last name
Thayer
An English occupational surname referring to a roof thatcher or thatch layer.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 18,094 Americans carry the last name Thayer. That puts it at #2,243 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.28 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 18,943 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Thayer 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 Thayer with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
18K
1 in 18,943
Census rank
#2,243
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
16K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 15,779 bearers of the surname Thayer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.28 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2243rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Thayer, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.1%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Thayer
The surname Thayer is believed to have originated in England, derived from the Old English word "thegn," meaning a servant or attendant. This name likely emerged in the early medieval period, referring to individuals who held positions of service or attended to those of higher social status.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Thayer can be found in the renowned Domesday Book, compiled in 1086 under the orders of William the Conqueror. This historical document mentions a landowner named Godric Thayer in Berkshire, England.
As time passed, the name underwent various spelling variations, including Thair, Thayre, and Thaier, reflecting the evolving nature of language and regional dialects. Some of these variations may have been influenced by places where families bearing this surname resided, such as the village of Thayer in Oxfordshire.
Historically, the Thayer surname has been associated with several notable individuals. One such figure was John Thayer, who lived in the 16th century and served as the Headmaster of Winchester College, a prestigious educational institution in Hampshire, England.
Another prominent bearer of the Thayer name was Nathaniel Thayer (1769-1840), an American businessman and philanthropist from Massachusetts. He made significant contributions to Harvard University and the Boston Athenæum, a renowned library and cultural institution.
In the literary realm, James Bradley Thayer (1831-1902), a renowned legal scholar and professor at Harvard Law School, left a lasting impact on American jurisprudence with his influential works on constitutional law and the role of the judiciary.
The Thayer surname also has connections to the military. One notable figure was Sylvanus Thayer (1785-1872), an American military officer and educator who served as the Superintendent of the United States Military Academy at West Point, playing a crucial role in shaping the academy's educational curriculum.
Another individual of historical significance was John Milton Thayer (1820-1890), a Union Army general during the American Civil War, who later served as a United States Senator from Nebraska and played a pivotal role in the state's development.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Thayer
Among Census respondents with the surname Thayer, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.1%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Thayer 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 Thayer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.1% · 14,215
- Two or more races4.1% · 646
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 441
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.2% · 194
- Black or African American0.9% · 148
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 135
Timeline
Historical Census data for Thayer
Thayer 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
#2,186
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,625
+129 bearers (+0.8%)
Per 100,000 5.64
Rank movement Down 172 places
2020
#2,243
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,779
-846 bearers (-5.1%)
Per 100,000 5.28
Rank movement Down 57 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,014 | 16,496 | 6.12 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,186 | 16,625 | 5.64 | +129 bearers (+0.8%) | Down 172 places |
| 2020 | #2,243 | 15,779 | 5.28 | -846 bearers (-5.1%) | Down 57 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 Thayer 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 | #2,186 | #2,243 | -2.6% |
| Count | 16,625 | 15,779 | -5.1% |
| Per 100K | 5.64 | 5.28 | -6.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Thayer bearers went from 16,625 to 15,779 (-5.1% change). The surname moved down 57 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,186 to #2,243.
FAQ
Thayer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Thayer?
Name Census estimates that about 18,094 living Americans carry the surname Thayer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 18,943 residents.
How common is Thayer?
Thayer ranks #2,243 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.28 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 15,779 people with the surname Thayer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (18,094), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.28 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.28 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Thayer.
Has Thayer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Thayer went from 16,625 recorded bearers to 15,779. That is a decrease of 846 (-5.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,186 to #2,243.
What does the Census say about the background of Thayer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Thayer, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.1%) and Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Thayer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.1% (14,215 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Thayer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.1%), Two or More Races (4.1%), Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Thayer (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 Thayer mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a roof thatcher or thatch layer. 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 Thayer (5.28 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 last name Thayer?
If you just want to know how many people have the surname Thayer, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.