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

Thi, 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 Thi surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Thi in America

Thi is the 24446th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Thi surname appeared 1,024 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 Thi.

We can also compare 2010 data for Thi 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 Thi

The surname Thi is believed to have originated in Germany during the Middle Ages, deriving from the Old German word "thiu," meaning "servant" or "bondsman." It is thought to have initially been used as a descriptive term for someone who worked as a servant or laborer.

The earliest known records of the Thi surname date back to the 13th century, appearing in various medieval documents and records from regions such as Bavaria and Saxony. It is speculated that the name may have also been influenced by the Old Norse word "þir," which had a similar meaning.

One of the earliest documented individuals bearing the Thi surname was Hans Thi, a farmer from the village of Roding in Bavaria, who was mentioned in a land registry from 1324. Another early record is that of Konrad Thi, a miller from the town of Meissen in Saxony, whose name appears in a tax record from 1387.

In the 15th century, the Thi surname can be found in various historical documents, including the Stadtbücher (town books) of cities like Nuremberg and Augsburg. During this period, the name was also sometimes spelled as "Thy" or "Thye."

Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals with the Thi surname, such as:

1. Johann Thi (1528-1592), a German theologian and Protestant reformer from Saxony.
2. Christoph Thi (1599-1668), a German composer and organist from Nuremberg.
3. Anna Thi (1675-1738), a German painter and engraver from Augsburg.
4. Wilhelm Thi (1789-1856), a German politician and jurist who served as a member of the Prussian parliament.
5. Heinrich Thi (1822-1895), a German industrialist and engineer who founded the Thi Machinery Works in Chemnitz.

While the Thi surname is relatively uncommon today, it can still be found in various parts of Germany, as well as in other European countries and regions where German settlers have migrated over the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Thi

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

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

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

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