2010
#156,044
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Thiems
A toponymic surname derived from a particular locality or region in Germany.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 132 Americans carry the last name Thiems. That puts it at #145,757 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,596,624 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Thiems 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.
Bearers in the US
132
1 in 2,596,624
Census rank
#145,757
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
115
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 115 bearers of the surname Thiems in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145757th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Thiems, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.7%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (6.1%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Thiems
The surname THIEMS is believed to have originated in Germany during the medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Old German word "thiem," which referred to a servant or attendant. This suggests that the name may have initially been given to someone who worked in a household or as a personal assistant.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name THIEMS can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus, a collection of historical documents from the region of Saxony, dating back to the 13th century. In this manuscript, a person named "Thieme" is mentioned as a witness to a land transaction.
During the 14th century, the name THIEMS began appearing in various town records and tax rolls across parts of central and northern Germany. Variations in spelling, such as "Thiem," "Thyeme," and "Thymen," were common during this time due to the lack of standardized orthography.
In the 16th century, a notable figure with the surname THIEMS was Johann Thiemius, a German theologian and reformer born in 1511 in the town of Zwickau. He played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation and was a close associate of Martin Luther.
Another well-known individual with the surname THIEMS was Johann Christoph Thiemius, a German composer and organist who lived from 1653 to 1698. He is known for his contributions to the development of early Baroque music.
In the 18th century, the THIEMS name was associated with several notable scholars and academics. One such figure was Johann Gottfried Thiemius, a German philosopher and professor who lived from 1720 to 1789. He taught at the University of Leipzig and published numerous works on metaphysics and ethics.
Moving into the 19th century, the name THIEMS gained recognition in the field of literature. Wilhelm Thiemius, born in 1810 and died in 1878, was a German poet and writer who gained popularity for his lyrical works and ballads.
Throughout history, the surname THIEMS has been linked to various professions and fields, from theology and academia to music and literature. While its origins can be traced back to medieval Germany, the name has since spread to other parts of Europe and beyond, carrying with it a rich heritage and fascinating etymological journey.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Thiems
Among Census respondents with the surname Thiems, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.7%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (6.1%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Thiems 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 Thiems surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.7% · 102
- American Indian and Alaska Native6.1% · 7
- Two or more races3.5% · 4
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Thiems
Thiems appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#145,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
+11 bearers (+10.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 10,287 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #156,044 | 104 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #145,757 | 115 | 0.04 | +11 bearers (+10.6%) | Up 10,287 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 Thiems 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 | #156,044 | #145,757 | 6.6% |
| Count | 104 | 115 | 10.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Thiems bearers went from 104 to 115 (+10.6% change). The surname moved up 10,287 positions in the national ranking, going from #156,044 to #145,757.
FAQ
Thiems surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Thiems?
Name Census estimates that about 132 living Americans carry the surname Thiems. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,596,624 residents.
How common is Thiems?
Thiems ranks #145,757 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 115 people with the surname Thiems. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (132), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Thiems.
Has Thiems become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Thiems went from 104 recorded bearers to 115. That is an increase of 11 (+10.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #156,044 to #145,757.
What does the Census say about the background of Thiems?
Among Census respondents with the surname Thiems, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.7%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (6.1%) and Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Thiems in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.7% (102 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Thiems appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.7%), American Indian/Alaska Native (6.1%), Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Thiems (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 Thiems mean?
A toponymic surname derived from a particular locality or region in Germany. 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 Thiems (0.04 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 Thiems?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.