2000
#4,551
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,156
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.65
Rare Last name
Thornburg
Habitational surname referring to someone from any of several places named Thornburg, meaning "fortified place with thorn bushes."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,481 Americans carry the last name Thornburg. That puts it at #5,177 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.18 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 45,817 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Thornburg 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
7.5K
1 in 45,817
Census rank
#5,177
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,524 bearers of the surname Thornburg in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.18 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5177th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Thornburg, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.5%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Thornburg
The surname Thornburg originated in England during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English words "thorn" and "burg," which together mean "thorn-covered fortified place." This suggests that the name initially referred to someone who lived in a thorny, fortified area or settlement.
The earliest recorded instances of the name date back to the 13th century. One of the earliest known bearers of the surname was John de Thornburg, who was mentioned in the Rotuli Hundredorum, a census document compiled in 1274-1275 during the reign of King Edward I.
The Thornburg name appears to have been particularly concentrated in the northern counties of England, such as Yorkshire and Lancashire, where many place names containing the element "thorn" can be found. One such example is the village of Thornborough in Yorkshire, which may have been the original Thornburg from which the surname derived.
In the 14th century, a notable figure with the surname Thornburg was Richard de Thornburgh, who was appointed as the Sheriff of Yorkshire in 1352. He played a role in suppressing the uprisings led by the English rebel leader, William Walworth.
During the 16th century, the Thornburg surname appeared in various spellings, including Thornburgh, Thornborough, and Thornbrough. One prominent individual from this era was Sir Edward Thornburgh (1512-1558), who served as a Member of Parliament and was also a member of the Privy Council under King Edward VI and Queen Mary I.
In the 17th century, a noteworthy Thornburg was Sir John Thornburgh (1591-1668), an English politician and Member of Parliament who supported the Royalist cause during the English Civil War. He was knighted by King Charles I in 1635.
Another significant figure with the Thornburg surname was Sir Edward Thornburgh (1619-1669), who served as Governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony from 1667 until his death in 1669. He played a crucial role in the colony's administration and worked to resolve conflicts between the colonists and the Native American tribes.
Throughout its history, the Thornburg surname has been associated with various influential individuals, from members of the English nobility to colonial administrators and political figures. Despite its English origin, the name has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and diaspora.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Thornburg
Among Census respondents with the surname Thornburg, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.5%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Thornburg 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 Thornburg surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.2% · 5,755
- Hispanic or Latino4.5% · 296
- Two or more races3.9% · 255
- Black or African American1.6% · 103
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.2% · 76
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 39
Timeline
Historical Census data for Thornburg
Thornburg 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
#4,827
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,309
+153 bearers (+2.1%)
Per 100,000 2.48
Rank movement Down 276 places
2020
#5,177
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,524
-785 bearers (-10.7%)
Per 100,000 2.18
Rank movement Down 350 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,551 | 7,156 | 2.65 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,827 | 7,309 | 2.48 | +153 bearers (+2.1%) | Down 276 places |
| 2020 | #5,177 | 6,524 | 2.18 | -785 bearers (-10.7%) | Down 350 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 Thornburg 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 | #4,827 | #5,177 | -7.3% |
| Count | 7,309 | 6,524 | -10.7% |
| Per 100K | 2.48 | 2.18 | -12.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Thornburg bearers went from 7,309 to 6,524 (-10.7% change). The surname moved down 350 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,827 to #5,177.
FAQ
Thornburg surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Thornburg?
Name Census estimates that about 7,481 living Americans carry the surname Thornburg. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 45,817 residents.
How common is Thornburg?
Thornburg ranks #5,177 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.18 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,524 people with the surname Thornburg. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,481), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.18 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.18 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Thornburg.
Has Thornburg become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Thornburg went from 7,309 recorded bearers to 6,524. That is a decrease of 785 (-10.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,827 to #5,177.
What does the Census say about the background of Thornburg?
Among Census respondents with the surname Thornburg, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.5%) and Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Thornburg in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.2% (5,755 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Thornburg appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.2%), Hispanic (4.5%), Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Thornburg (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 Thornburg mean?
Habitational surname referring to someone from any of several places named Thornburg, meaning "fortified place with thorn bushes." 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 Thornburg (2.18 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 people have the last name Thornburg?
See how many people are called Thornburg on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.