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

Thoreson, 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 Thoreson surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Thoreson in America

Thoreson is the 12842nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Thoreson surname appeared 2,397 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 Thoreson.

We can also compare 2010 data for Thoreson 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 Thoreson

The surname Thoreson originates from Norway and dates back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Old Norse words "Thor" and "son," meaning "son of Thor." Thor was the god of thunder in Norse mythology, and it was common for people to take names related to gods or natural elements.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Thoreson can be found in the Icelandic Sagas, which are historical narratives from the 13th and 14th centuries. These sagas mention individuals with the name Thoreson, indicating that it was already in use during that period.

In the late 13th century, the name Thoreson appeared in the Diplomatarium Norvegicum, a collection of medieval Norwegian diplomatic documents. This suggests that the name was present in Norway and used by families or individuals of significance.

The name Thoreson has its roots in various regions of Norway, including the western coastal areas and the fjord regions. It was particularly prevalent in areas where Norse mythology and beliefs had a strong influence.

During the Viking Age (793-1066 AD), some Norsemen bearing the name Thoreson may have traveled and settled in other parts of Europe, such as the British Isles and parts of present-day France and Germany. However, records of individuals with this surname from that period are scarce.

Notable individuals with the surname Thoreson include:

1. Thorvald Thoreson (1854-1935), a Norwegian-American politician who served as the 16th Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota.
2. Nils Thoreson (1875-1952), a Norwegian-American farmer and political activist who co-founded the Nonpartisan League, a political movement in the early 20th century.
3. Sigrid Thoreson (1893-1978), a Norwegian-American author and educator who wrote books on Scandinavian culture and folklore.
4. Olav Thoreson (1920-2003), a Norwegian-American businessman and philanthropist who founded the Thoreson Foundation, which supports education and cultural initiatives.
5. Ingrid Thoreson (1961-present), a Norwegian-American artist known for her landscape paintings and nature-inspired works.

While the surname Thoreson has its roots in Norway, it has spread to other parts of the world due to migration and intermarriage. The name continues to carry the historical connections to Norse mythology and the reverence for the god Thor.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Thoreson

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

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

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

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