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

Thornell, 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 Thornell surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Thornell in America

Thornell is the 24137th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Thornell surname appeared 1,042 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Thornell.

We can also compare 2010 data for Thornell 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 Thornell

The surname Thornell is of English origin and dates back to the medieval period. It is believed to have originated from the Old English words "thorn" meaning a thorny bush and "hyll" meaning a hill or slope. The name likely referred to someone who lived near a thorny hill or slope, making it a locational surname.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Thornell can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Thornhull" in reference to a place name. This indicates that the name was already in use during the Norman Conquest of England in the 11th century.

In the 13th century, the name appeared in various historical records with spellings such as "Thornhill" and "Thornhull". These variations likely reflect the different ways the name was pronounced and written in different regions of England.

One notable individual with the surname Thornell was John Thornell, who was born in 1586 in Gloucestershire, England. He was a prominent merchant and landowner in the 17th century.

Another significant figure was Sir Thomas Thornell, born in 1625 in Oxfordshire, England. He was a Member of Parliament and served as the High Sheriff of Oxfordshire in 1672.

In the 18th century, the surname Thornell is recorded in various parish registers and census records across England. One example is William Thornell, born in 1712 in Yorkshire, who was a renowned clockmaker and watchmaker.

The 19th century saw the name spread to other parts of the world due to English migration. For instance, Joseph Thornell, born in 1823 in Devon, England, emigrated to Australia in the 1850s and became a successful farmer and landowner in the colony of New South Wales.

Another notable figure with the surname Thornell was Mary Thornell, born in 1845 in London, England. She was a pioneering educator and co-founded one of the first kindergartens in the United States after emigrating there in the late 1800s.

Throughout its history, the surname Thornell has also been associated with various place names, such as Thornhill in West Yorkshire, Thornhill in Derbyshire, and Thornhill in Dorset, further reinforcing its locational origins.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Thornell

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

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

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

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