Find out how popular the last name Thompson is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Thompson.
An English patronymic surname meaning "son of Thomas," derived from the medieval personal name of Biblical origin.
Thompson, 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 Thompson surname is from the 2010 census data.
Thompson is the 23rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.
The Thompson surname appeared 664,644 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 225 people would have the surname Thompson.
We can also compare 2010 data for Thompson 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.
2010 | 2000 | Change (%) | |
---|---|---|---|
Rank | 23 | 19 | 19.05% |
Count | 664,644 | 644,368 | 3.10% |
Proportion per 100k | 225.32 | 238.87 | -5.84% |
The surname Thompson is of English origin and dates back to the 12th century. It is a patronymic name derived from the given name Thomas, which comes from the Aramaic name Ta'oma, meaning "twin." The suffix "-son" was commonly added to create patronymic surnames in medieval England, indicating the bearer's family lineage.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Thompson surname appears in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1219, where it is spelled as "Tomas filius Thomae" (Thomas, son of Thomas). It is believed that the surname arose independently in various parts of England, particularly in the northern counties of Yorkshire, Lancashire, and Northumberland.
In the 13th century, the surname Thompson is found in various records, including the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire (1273), where it is spelled as "Thomasune." This variation highlights the fluidity of spelling during that period, as surnames were still establishing their standardized forms.
The Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, does not contain the surname Thompson. However, it does mention several individuals with the given name Thomas, indicating the potential for the surname's later development.
Notable historical figures with the surname Thompson include:
The surname Thompson has also been associated with various place names in England, including Thompsons Close in Berkshire, Thompson's Green in Hertfordshire, and Thompson Hill in Dorset. These place names likely derived from individuals with the Thompson surname who lived or held lands in those areas.
We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Thompson.
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:
For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Thompson was:
Race/Ethnicity | Percentage | Total Occurrences |
---|---|---|
Non-Hispanic White Only | 69.78% | 463,789 |
Non-Hispanic Black Only | 23.57% | 156,657 |
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only | 0.57% | 3,788 |
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native | 1.22% | 8,109 |
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races | 2.37% | 15,752 |
Hispanic Origin | 2.49% | 16,550 |
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 Thompson has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.
2010 | 2000 | Change (%) | |
---|---|---|---|
White | 69.78% | 72.48% | -3.80% |
Black | 23.57% | 22.53% | 4.51% |
Asian and Pacific Islander | 0.57% | 0.44% | 25.74% |
American Indian and Alaskan Native | 1.22% | 1.15% | 5.91% |
Two or More Races | 2.37% | 1.78% | 28.43% |
Hispanic | 2.49% | 1.62% | 42.34% |
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 Thompson was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.
If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Thompson, please contact us.
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<a href="http://namecensus.com/last-names/thompson-surname-popularity/">Thompson last name popularity, history, and meaning</a>
"Thompson last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on December 4, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/thompson-surname-popularity/.
"Thompson last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/thompson-surname-popularity/. Accessed 4 December, 2024
Thompson last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/thompson-surname-popularity/.
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