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

Thorp, 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 Thorp surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Thorp in America

Thorp is the 5716th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Thorp surname appeared 6,067 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Thorp.

We can also compare 2010 data for Thorp 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 Thorp

The surname Thorp originated in England, derived from the Old English word "þrop," which referred to a small village or hamlet. It is believed to have first emerged in the northern counties of Yorkshire and Lincolnshire during the Anglo-Saxon period, around the 5th to 7th centuries.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which mentions a landholder named Torp in Yorkshire. This suggests that the name was already well-established in the region by the time of the Norman Conquest.

Throughout the Middle Ages, the surname appeared in various spellings, such as Thorp, Thorpe, and Thoropp, reflecting the regional dialects and scribal variations of the time. Some of these variations may have been influenced by the Old Norse word "þorp," which had a similar meaning.

The name Thorp is often associated with place names in England, such as Thorp Arch in Yorkshire, Thorp Underwood in Northamptonshire, and Thorpe-le-Soken in Essex. These place names likely originated from the Old English word "þrop" and later evolved into the modern surname.

One notable bearer of the name was Sir Robert Thorp (c. 1340-1409), a Yorkshire landowner and Member of Parliament during the reign of King Richard II. Another prominent figure was Sir William Thorp (c. 1451-1518), a lawyer and judge who served as Chief Justice of the King's Bench under King Henry VIII.

In the literary realm, the name is associated with John Thorpe (c. 1565-1655), an English architect and surveyor who made significant contributions to the Elizabethan and Jacobean architectural styles. His work can be seen in various notable buildings, including Longford Castle in Wiltshire.

The name Thorp also has a connection to the American colonies. One of the earliest recorded instances is Thomas Thorp, who arrived in Virginia in 1623. Another notable bearer was Benjamin Thorp (1726-1804), a Revolutionary War soldier and early settler in Ohio.

Other individuals with the surname Thorp include John Thorp (1815-1892), a British painter known for his landscapes and genre scenes, and Willard Thorp (1899-1990), an American literary critic and educator who taught at Princeton University.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Thorp

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

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

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

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