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

Thornberry, 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 Thornberry surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Thornberry in America

Thornberry is the 13646th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Thornberry surname appeared 2,219 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 Thornberry.

We can also compare 2010 data for Thornberry 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 Thornberry

The surname Thornberry originated in England and has been recorded since the 13th century. It is a locational name derived from the Old English words 'thorn' meaning a hawthorn bush and 'bury' meaning a fortified manor or dwelling place. Therefore, it was likely given to someone who lived near a hawthorn bush or a thorn-covered hill.

The earliest known record of the name is found in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1273, where it appears as Thornbiry. Other early spellings include Thornbery, Thornberie, and Thornberry. The name was particularly prevalent in the counties of Oxfordshire, Wiltshire, and Gloucestershire.

In the Domesday Book of 1086, there are several references to places called Thornbury or similar variations, such as Thornberia in Gloucestershire and Thornberie in Wiltshire. These place names likely contributed to the development of the Thornberry surname.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname was John Thornbery, who was mentioned in the Subsidy Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1327. Another early bearer was William Thornbury, who was listed in the Subsidy Rolls of Wiltshire in 1332.

Notable individuals with the surname Thornberry include:

1. Sir John Thornberry (c. 1445 – 1515), an English merchant and Member of Parliament for Bristol in 1491 and 1510.
2. Thomas Thornberry (c. 1570 – 1635), an English clergyman and author who wrote several religious works.
3. Edward Thornberry (1767 – 1846), a British naval officer who served in the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars.
4. Walter Thornberry (1836 – 1902), an American politician who served as a US Congressman from Texas from 1887 to 1891.
5. Sir James Thornberry (1887 – 1962), a British judge and Lord Justice of Appeal who was known for his work in reforming the legal system.

The Thornberry surname has been found across various parts of the United Kingdom and has also been carried to other countries by British emigrants over the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Thornberry

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

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

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

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