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

Thornton, 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 Thornton surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Thornton in America

Thornton is the 373rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Thornton surname appeared 83,967 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 28 people would have the surname Thornton.

We can also compare 2010 data for Thornton 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 Thornton

The surname Thornton is of English origin, derived from a place name meaning "the village surrounded by thorns." It is believed to have originated in the 11th century, shortly after the Norman Conquest of England in 1066.

The name likely arose from various settlements called Thornton, which were scattered across England. These place names were composed of the Old English words "thorn" (meaning "thorny bush") and "tun" (meaning "enclosure" or "village"). The earliest recorded spelling of the surname was found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appeared as "de Thorneton."

One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name was William de Thornton, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1166. Another early reference was to Robert de Thornton, whose name appeared in the Assize Rolls of Staffordshire in 1272.

During the Middle Ages, the Thornton family held significant landholdings in Yorkshire and Lancashire. In the 14th century, Sir Roger de Thornton was a prominent merchant and Mayor of Newcastle upon Tyne. His descendant, Robert Thornton, was a 15th-century Yorkshire landowner and scribe, known for compiling the Thornton Manuscript, a valuable collection of medieval English literature.

In the 16th century, Sir Edward Thornton (c. 1520-1609) was an English diplomat and scholar who served as Ambassador to France during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. His contemporary, Michael Thornton (c. 1556-1629), was a Church of England clergyman and author.

Other notable figures with the surname Thornton include Sir Samuel Thornton (1755-1838), a British naval officer and politician, and William Thornton (1759-1828), an English-born architect who designed the United States Capitol Building in Washington, D.C.

Throughout its history, the surname Thornton has been subject to various spelling variations, including Thorneton, Thornton, Thorneton, and Thorntown, reflecting regional linguistic differences and variations in record-keeping practices.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Thornton

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

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

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

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