2000
#25,657
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 903
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.33
Very Rare Last name
Thorburn
A locational surname originating from places in Scotland called Thorburn.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 944 Americans carry the last name Thorburn. That puts it at #30,403 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.28 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 363,087 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Thorburn 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Thorburn with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
944
1 in 363,087
Census rank
#30,403
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
823
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 823 bearers of the surname Thorburn in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.28 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 30403rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Thorburn, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Thorburn
Among Census respondents with the surname Thorburn, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Thorburn 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 Thorburn surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.4% · 752
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 25
- Two or more races2.8% · 23
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.3% · 11
- Black or African American1.2% · 10
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Thorburn
Thorburn 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
#27,002
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 898
-5 bearers (-0.6%)
Per 100,000 0.30
Rank movement Down 1,345 places
2020
#30,403
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 823
-75 bearers (-8.4%)
Per 100,000 0.28
Rank movement Down 3,401 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #25,657 | 903 | 0.33 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #27,002 | 898 | 0.30 | -5 bearers (-0.6%) | Down 1,345 places |
| 2020 | #30,403 | 823 | 0.28 | -75 bearers (-8.4%) | Down 3,401 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 Thorburn 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 | #27,002 | #30,403 | -12.6% |
| Count | 898 | 823 | -8.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.30 | 0.28 | -8.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Thorburn bearers went from 898 to 823 (-8.4% change). The surname moved down 3,401 positions in the national ranking, going from #27,002 to #30,403.
FAQ
Thorburn surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Thorburn?
Name Census estimates that about 944 living Americans carry the surname Thorburn. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 363,087 residents.
How common is Thorburn?
Thorburn ranks #30,403 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.28 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 823 people with the surname Thorburn. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (944), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.28 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.28 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Thorburn.
Has Thorburn become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Thorburn went from 898 recorded bearers to 823. That is a decrease of 75 (-8.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #27,002 to #30,403.
What does the Census say about the background of Thorburn?
Among Census respondents with the surname Thorburn, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (2.8%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Thorburn in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.4% (752 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Thorburn appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.4%), Hispanic (3.0%), Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Thorburn (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 Thorburn mean?
A locational surname originating from places in Scotland called Thorburn. 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 Thorburn (0.28 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 Americans have the surname Thorburn?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.