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

Thorpe, 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 Thorpe surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Thorpe in America

Thorpe is the 1651st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Thorpe surname appeared 21,813 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 7 people would have the surname Thorpe.

We can also compare 2010 data for Thorpe 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 Thorpe

The surname Thorpe originates from England and dates back to the Anglo-Saxon period. It is a toponymic name derived from the Old English word "þorp," which means a small village or hamlet. The name likely referred to someone who lived in or near a small settlement.

In the Domesday Book of 1086, a survey of landholdings in England, there are several references to places with names containing the element "Thorpe," such as Thorpe St. Peter in Norfolk and Thorpe-on-the-Hill in Lincolnshire. These early records indicate the widespread use of the name across various regions of England.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Thorpe can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1166, where a person named Robert de Thorp is mentioned. Another early bearer of the name was William de Thorpe, a 14th-century English judge and Chief Justice of the King's Bench.

Thorpe is also associated with several notable historical figures. Sir Edmund Thorpe (c. 1490-1558) was an English courtier and politician who served as Chief Clerk of the Household during the reign of Henry VIII. Robert Thorpe (1622-1672) was an English politician and member of the Parliament of England during the English Civil War.

In literature, the name is associated with the English poet and critic Thomas Thorpe (fl. 1600-1635), who is best known for publishing Shakespeare's sonnets in 1609. Another literary figure with this surname is the English novelist and children's writer Adam Thorpe (born 1956), known for his novels "Ulverton" and "Pieces of Light."

Other notable individuals with the surname Thorpe include the British artist and sculptor Sir Robert Thorpe (1765-1836), the English cricketer and footballer Frank Thorpe (1888-1971), and the American Olympic athlete Jim Thorpe (1887-1953), who was considered one of the greatest athletes of the 20th century.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Thorpe

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

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

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

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