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

Thorburn, 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 Thorburn surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Thorburn in America

Thorburn is the 27002nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Thorburn surname appeared 898 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 Thorburn.

We can also compare 2010 data for Thorburn 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 Thorburn

The surname Thorburn originates from the Scottish lowlands and highlands during the medieval era. It is derived from the Old Norse words 'Þórr' meaning thunder and 'brunnr' meaning stream or well, essentially translating to 'Thor's stream'. This suggests the name may have originated as a place name referring to a location near a stream named after the Norse god Thor.

Early recorded examples of the name can be found in the 13th century Scottish Exchequer Rolls, with variations such as 'Thorburne' and 'Thorbrane'. The Ragman Rolls of 1296, which recorded the sworn allegiance of Scottish nobles to King Edward I of England, also mentions individuals with this surname.

One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Sir Walter Thorburn, a Scottish knight who fought alongside Sir William Wallace during the Wars of Scottish Independence in the late 13th and early 14th centuries. Another notable figure was Robert Thorburn, a 16th century Scottish theologian and reformer who played a role in the Protestant Reformation in Scotland.

In the 17th century, the Thorburn family held lands in the Scottish Borders region, with several members serving as prominent local landowners and officials. One example is John Thorburn, who was the Laird of Templestons in Berwickshire during the late 1600s.

During the 18th and 19th centuries, the Thorburn name spread beyond Scotland as some members of the family emigrated to other parts of the British Isles and beyond. One notable individual was Robert Thorburn, a 19th century British naval officer and explorer who served in the Royal Navy and participated in several Arctic expeditions.

Other notable bearers of the Thorburn surname include Sir Walter Thorburn, a 19th century British politician and Lord Mayor of London, and James Thorburn, a Scottish botanist and nurseryman who lived in the late 18th and early 19th centuries and made significant contributions to the study of plants.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Thorburn

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

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

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

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