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

Thon, 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 Thon surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Thon in America

Thon is the 23737th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Thon surname appeared 1,066 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 Thon.

We can also compare 2010 data for Thon 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 Thon

The surname Thon has its origins in Germany, where it first emerged during the Middle Ages. It is believed to have derived from the Old German word "thunon," meaning "to thrive" or "to prosper." As such, the name may have initially been given as a descriptive term to someone who appeared prosperous or successful.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Thon can be found in the medieval Codex Diplomaticus, a collection of historical documents from the region now known as Rhineland-Palatinate. An entry from the 13th century mentions a man named Johannes Thon, who was a landowner in the village of Bingen.

During the 15th century, the Thon name appears in various records from the city of Cologne, where it was often spelled as "Thone" or "Thonen." This suggests that the name had already begun to spread beyond its initial local origins and was becoming more widespread across the German-speaking regions.

In the 16th century, a notable figure named Johann Thon (1516-1586) was a prominent Lutheran reformer and theologian who served as a professor at the University of Wittenberg. His writings and teachings played a significant role in shaping the Protestant Reformation in Germany.

Another prominent historical figure with the surname Thon was Theodor Thon (1789-1844), a German architect and urban planner who designed several notable buildings in Berlin, including the Alte Nationalgalerie and the Friedrichswerdersche Kirche.

In the 19th century, the Thon name gained recognition through the work of Valentin Thon (1817-1866), a German composer and music teacher who contributed significantly to the development of choral music in his country.

Other notable individuals with the surname Thon include the German painter and etcher Hans Thon (1838-1919), whose works captured scenes of daily life in rural Germany, and the modern German writer and playwright Günter Thon (1923-2011), known for his plays and novels exploring social and political themes.

Across its long history, the Thon surname has been associated with various occupations and achievements, from landowners and theologians to architects, artists, and writers. While its origins may have been humble, the name has left an enduring mark on German culture and history.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Thon

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!