2000
#12,737
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,225
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.82
Rare Last name
Thor
A surname of Scandinavian origin, derived from the Norse god of thunder and lightning.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,561 Americans carry the last name Thor. That puts it at #9,927 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 96,252 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Thor 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
3.6K
1 in 96,252
Census rank
#9,927
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,105 bearers of the surname Thor in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9927th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Thor, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 66.1%. The next largest groups are White (28.6%) and Two or More Races (2.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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."
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Thor
Among Census respondents with the surname Thor, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 66.1%. The next largest groups are White (28.6%) and Two or More Races (2.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Thor 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 Thor surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander66.1% · 2,051
- White28.6% · 887
- Two or more races2.1% · 65
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 58
- Black or African American1.4% · 44
Timeline
Historical Census data for Thor
Thor 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
#11,197
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,823
+598 bearers (+26.9%)
Per 100,000 0.96
Rank movement Up 1,540 places
2020
#9,927
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,105
+282 bearers (+10.0%)
Per 100,000 1.04
Rank movement Up 1,270 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,737 | 2,225 | 0.82 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,197 | 2,823 | 0.96 | +598 bearers (+26.9%) | Up 1,540 places |
| 2020 | #9,927 | 3,105 | 1.04 | +282 bearers (+10.0%) | Up 1,270 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 Thor 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 | #11,197 | #9,927 | 11.3% |
| Count | 2,823 | 3,105 | 10.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.96 | 1.04 | 8.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Thor bearers went from 2,823 to 3,105 (+10.0% change). The surname moved up 1,270 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,197 to #9,927.
FAQ
Thor surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Thor?
Name Census estimates that about 3,561 living Americans carry the surname Thor. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 96,252 residents.
How common is Thor?
Thor ranks #9,927 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,105 people with the surname Thor. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,561), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Thor.
Has Thor become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Thor went from 2,823 recorded bearers to 3,105. That is an increase of 282 (+10.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #11,197 to #9,927.
What does the Census say about the background of Thor?
Among Census respondents with the surname Thor, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 66.1%. The next largest groups are White (28.6%) and Two or More Races (2.1%). 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Thor in the 2020 Census, accounting for 66.1% (2,051 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Thor appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (66.1%), White (28.6%), Two or More Races (2.1%). 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 Thor (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 Thor mean?
A surname of Scandinavian origin, derived from the Norse god of thunder and lightning. 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 Thor (1.04 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 are called Thor?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the surname Thor at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.