2000
#3,599
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,068
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.36
Uncommon Last name
Thigpen
Derived from Middle English "thikpeny," referring to a coin of thick silver, likely an occupational surname for a moneyer.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 10,397 Americans carry the last name Thigpen. That puts it at #3,816 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 32,967 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Thigpen 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
10K
1 in 32,967
Census rank
#3,816
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
9.1K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 9,067 bearers of the surname Thigpen in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3816th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Thigpen, the largest self-reported group is White at 59.4%. The next largest groups are Black (33.8%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Thigpen
The surname Thigpen has its origins in England, originating in the late 15th or early 16th century. It is believed to be a locational name derived from a place called "Thickpen" or "Thickpenn," which could have been located in either Devon or Somerset. The name is thought to be a combination of the Old English words "thicc," meaning thick or dense, and "penn," referring to a pen or enclosure for livestock.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Somerset in 1524, where a Thomas Thigpen is mentioned. The name also appears in the Protestation Returns of 1641-1642, a document listing those who swore allegiance to the Protestant religion, which includes individuals with the surname Thigpen from various counties in England.
The surname Thigpen has several variations in spelling throughout history, including Thickpen, Thickpenn, Thikpen, and Thigpen. These variations likely arose due to regional dialects and the inconsistencies in record-keeping during that time period.
In terms of historical figures bearing the Thigpen surname, one notable individual was Sir John Thigpen (1604-1671), an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Somerset during the 17th century. Another notable figure was William Thigpen (1734-1798), an American planter and politician from Virginia who served in the House of Burgesses and the Virginia Convention.
Other individuals of note include James Thigpen (1768-1836), an American farmer and landowner from North Carolina, and Thomas Thigpen (1801-1873), a Methodist minister and circuit rider in Alabama during the early 19th century. Additionally, Samuel Thigpen (1820-1895) was a Baptist minister and educator in Mississippi, known for founding the Thigpen Institute, a private school.
The surname Thigpen has a rich history dating back several centuries, with its roots firmly planted in the English countryside. Despite variations in spelling and pronunciation over time, the name has endured and can be found in historical records spanning multiple countries and continents.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Thigpen
Among Census respondents with the surname Thigpen, the largest self-reported group is White at 59.4%. The next largest groups are Black (33.8%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Thigpen 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 Thigpen surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White59.4% · 5,383
- Black or African American33.8% · 3,063
- Two or more races4.3% · 393
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 173
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 36
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 19
Timeline
Historical Census data for Thigpen
Thigpen 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
#3,784
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,359
+291 bearers (+3.2%)
Per 100,000 3.17
Rank movement Down 185 places
2020
#3,816
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,067
-292 bearers (-3.1%)
Per 100,000 3.03
Rank movement Down 32 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,599 | 9,068 | 3.36 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,784 | 9,359 | 3.17 | +291 bearers (+3.2%) | Down 185 places |
| 2020 | #3,816 | 9,067 | 3.03 | -292 bearers (-3.1%) | Down 32 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 Thigpen 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 | #3,784 | #3,816 | -0.8% |
| Count | 9,359 | 9,067 | -3.1% |
| Per 100K | 3.17 | 3.03 | -4.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Thigpen bearers went from 9,359 to 9,067 (-3.1% change). The surname moved down 32 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,784 to #3,816.
FAQ
Thigpen surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Thigpen?
Name Census estimates that about 10,397 living Americans carry the surname Thigpen. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 32,967 residents.
How common is Thigpen?
Thigpen ranks #3,816 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 9,067 people with the surname Thigpen. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (10,397), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Thigpen.
Has Thigpen become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Thigpen went from 9,359 recorded bearers to 9,067. That is a decrease of 292 (-3.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,784 to #3,816.
What does the Census say about the background of Thigpen?
Among Census respondents with the surname Thigpen, the largest self-reported group is White at 59.4%. The next largest groups are Black (33.8%) and Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Thigpen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 59.4% (5,383 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Thigpen appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (59.4%), Black (33.8%), Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Thigpen (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 Thigpen mean?
Derived from Middle English "thikpeny," referring to a coin of thick silver, likely an occupational surname for a moneyer. 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 Thigpen (3.03 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 common is the surname Thigpen?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people are called Thigpen at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.