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

Thor, 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 Thor surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Thor in America

Thor is the 11197th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Thor surname appeared 2,823 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Thor.

We can also compare 2010 data for Thor 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 Thor

The surname Thor is of Old Norse origin, tracing its roots back to ancient Scandinavia and the Viking Age. It is derived from the Old Norse name Þórr, which was the name of the god of thunder and lightning in Norse mythology. This name was likely used as a descriptive byname or nickname for someone who was strong, powerful, or perhaps had a booming voice reminiscent of thunder.

The earliest recorded instances of the name Thor can be found in ancient Norse sagas and chronicles, where it appears as both a personal name and a reference to the god. One notable example is the Icelandic Saga of Erik the Red, written in the 13th century, which mentions a character named Thorbjorn.

As the Vikings explored and settled in various regions of Europe, the name Thor spread to different areas. In England, for instance, the surname appears in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Tor and Tore, reflecting the Norman French spelling of the name.

Over time, the surname Thor evolved into various spellings and forms across different regions. In Sweden, it was sometimes spelled as Tore or Thore, while in Denmark, it took the form of Tor or Thor. In Norway, the name was often rendered as Tor or Thor.

Notable historical figures with the surname Thor include:

1. Jon Tordsson Thor (c. 1530-1584), a Swedish clergyman and bishop of Strängnäs.
2. Lauritz Thura Thor (1672-1721), a Danish naval officer and Arctic explorer.
3. Vilhelm Thoresen (1836-1912), a Norwegian shipping magnate and founder of the Thoresen shipping company.
4. Vilhelm Thor (1889-1977), a Norwegian politician and member of the Norwegian Parliament.
5. Jón Þórðarson Thor (1898-1972), an Icelandic chess player and the first Icelander to become an International Master.

The surname Thor has also been associated with various place names, particularly in Scandinavia. For example, the village of Thorsø in Denmark takes its name from the Old Norse Þórsøy, meaning "Thor's island."

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Thor

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

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

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

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