2000
#3,347
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,776
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.62
Uncommon Last name
Thorn
A topographic surname referring to someone who lived near a thorn bush or hedge.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 10,644 Americans carry the last name Thorn. That puts it at #3,722 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.11 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 32,202 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Thorn 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 Thorn with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
11K
1 in 32,202
Census rank
#3,722
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
9.3K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 9,282 bearers of the surname Thorn in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.11 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3722nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Thorn, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.4%. The next largest groups are Black (9.2%) and Hispanic (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Thorn
The surname Thorn originated in England, with records dating back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Old English word "thorn," meaning a thorny bush or shrub. The name was likely given to someone who lived near or was associated with a particularly thorny area.
In medieval times, the Thorn family was concentrated in the counties of Yorkshire and Lincolnshire. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Hundred Rolls of Yorkshire from 1273, which mentions a William del Thorn.
The Thorn surname can also be traced back to place names like Thornton, which means "village with thorns." Many early bearers of the name likely adopted it from the towns or villages they were from, such as Thornton in Yorkshire or Thornton in Buckinghamshire.
The Domesday Book of 1086 contains a few possible references to the Thorn name, including a landowner named Torne in Gloucestershire and a place called Tornestone in Staffordshire.
Notable historical figures with the Thorn surname include William Thorn (c. 1397-1459), a Benedictine monk and chronicler from Canterbury, and John Thorn (c. 1520-1573), a Catholic martyr who was executed during the Reformation.
In the 16th century, a prominent Thorn family lived in Shelvock, Shropshire. One member, Roger Thorn (1521-1594), was a wealthy landowner and served as Sheriff of Shropshire in 1574.
Another notable figure was Robert Thorn (1701-1781), an English clergyman and author who wrote several religious works, including "A Commentary on the Book of Job."
During the 18th century, the Thorn family had a strong presence in Yorkshire, particularly around the town of Wakefield. One member, Joseph Thorn (1723-1793), was a successful merchant and landowner in the area.
In more recent history, the writer and journalist Gail Thorne (1939-2011) became known for her books on parenting and family life, while Larry Thorn (1945-2018) was a professional basketball player who played in the NBA for the Seattle SuperSonics and Chicago Bulls.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Thorn
Among Census respondents with the surname Thorn, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.4%. The next largest groups are Black (9.2%) and Hispanic (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Thorn 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 Thorn surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White81.4% · 7,553
- Black or African American9.2% · 851
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 346
- Two or more races3.7% · 339
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.5% · 140
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 53
Timeline
Historical Census data for Thorn
Thorn 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
#3,569
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,988
+212 bearers (+2.2%)
Per 100,000 3.39
Rank movement Down 222 places
2020
#3,722
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,282
-706 bearers (-7.1%)
Per 100,000 3.11
Rank movement Down 153 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,347 | 9,776 | 3.62 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,569 | 9,988 | 3.39 | +212 bearers (+2.2%) | Down 222 places |
| 2020 | #3,722 | 9,282 | 3.11 | -706 bearers (-7.1%) | Down 153 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 Thorn 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 | #3,569 | #3,722 | -4.3% |
| Count | 9,988 | 9,282 | -7.1% |
| Per 100K | 3.39 | 3.11 | -8.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Thorn bearers went from 9,988 to 9,282 (-7.1% change). The surname moved down 153 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,569 to #3,722.
FAQ
Thorn surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Thorn?
Name Census estimates that about 10,644 living Americans carry the surname Thorn. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 32,202 residents.
How common is Thorn?
Thorn ranks #3,722 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.11 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 9,282 people with the surname Thorn. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (10,644), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.11 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.11 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Thorn.
Has Thorn become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Thorn went from 9,988 recorded bearers to 9,282. That is a decrease of 706 (-7.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,569 to #3,722.
What does the Census say about the background of Thorn?
Among Census respondents with the surname Thorn, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.4%. The next largest groups are Black (9.2%) and Hispanic (3.7%). 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 Thorn in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.4% (7,553 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Thorn appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (81.4%), Black (9.2%), Hispanic (3.7%). 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 Thorn (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 Thorn mean?
A topographic surname referring to someone who lived near a thorn bush or hedge. 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 Thorn (3.11 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 common is the surname Thorn?
If you just want to know how many people are called Thorn, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.