2000
#12,107
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,362
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.88
Rare Last name
Thoreson
Derived from the Scandinavian given name Thor combined with the patronymic suffix -son, meaning "son of Thor."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,572 Americans carry the last name Thoreson. That puts it at #13,069 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.75 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 133,264 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Thoreson 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
2.6K
1 in 133,264
Census rank
#13,069
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,243 bearers of the surname Thoreson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.75 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13069th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Thoreson, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Thoreson
Among Census respondents with the surname Thoreson, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Thoreson 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 Thoreson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.4% · 2,095
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 75
- Two or more races2.2% · 50
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 11
- Black or African American0.3% · 6
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Thoreson
Thoreson 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
#12,842
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,397
+35 bearers (+1.5%)
Per 100,000 0.81
Rank movement Down 735 places
2020
#13,069
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,243
-154 bearers (-6.4%)
Per 100,000 0.75
Rank movement Down 227 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,107 | 2,362 | 0.88 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,842 | 2,397 | 0.81 | +35 bearers (+1.5%) | Down 735 places |
| 2020 | #13,069 | 2,243 | 0.75 | -154 bearers (-6.4%) | Down 227 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 Thoreson 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 | #12,842 | #13,069 | -1.8% |
| Count | 2,397 | 2,243 | -6.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.81 | 0.75 | -7.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Thoreson bearers went from 2,397 to 2,243 (-6.4% change). The surname moved down 227 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,842 to #13,069.
FAQ
Thoreson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Thoreson?
Name Census estimates that about 2,572 living Americans carry the surname Thoreson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 133,264 residents.
How common is Thoreson?
Thoreson ranks #13,069 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.75 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 2,243 people with the surname Thoreson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,572), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.75 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.75 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 Thoreson.
Has Thoreson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Thoreson went from 2,397 recorded bearers to 2,243. That is a decrease of 154 (-6.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,842 to #13,069.
What does the Census say about the background of Thoreson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Thoreson, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.2%). 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 Thoreson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.4% (2,095 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Thoreson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.4%), Hispanic (3.3%), Two or More Races (2.2%). 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 Thoreson (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 Thoreson mean?
Derived from the Scandinavian given name Thor combined with the patronymic suffix -son, meaning "son of Thor." 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 Thoreson (0.75 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 Thoreson?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.