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

Thralls, 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 Thralls surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Thralls in America

Thralls is the 109758th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Thralls surname appeared 161 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 Thralls.

We can also compare 2010 data for Thralls 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 Thralls

The surname "THRALLS" is of English origin and can be traced back to the 11th century, during the Norman conquest of England. It is derived from the Old English word "thrall," which referred to a person in a state of bondage or servitude. This word is thought to have its roots in the Old Norse term "þræll," meaning slave or serf.

In the early days of Norman England, the name Thralls was likely used to identify individuals or families who had been enslaved or held in bondage. It may have also been used as a descriptive surname, referring to a person's occupation or social status as a thrall or serf.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Thralls can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, a comprehensive survey of landowners and property holders commissioned by William the Conqueror. This document mentions a landowner named Thurall, which is believed to be an early variant spelling of the name Thralls.

During the 13th and 14th centuries, the name appeared in various records and manuscripts across England, often spelled as "Thralle," "Thralles," or "Thrall." One notable bearer of the name was Sir John Thralls, a knight who fought in the Battle of Poitiers during the Hundred Years' War in 1356.

In the 15th century, the name Thralls was associated with the village of Thralls in Gloucestershire, England. This place name likely derived from the surname and may have referred to a settlement or landholding owned by a family bearing the name.

Other notable individuals with the surname Thralls include:

1. William Thralls (c. 1510-1585), a prominent merchant and landowner in Stratford-upon-Avon, who was a contemporary of William Shakespeare.
2. Elizabeth Thralls (1625-1692), one of the accused during the infamous Salem Witch Trials in Massachusetts.
3. Thomas Thralls (1670-1744), an English explorer and navigator who participated in several expeditions to the South Pacific.
4. Mary Thralls (1789-1863), a pioneering educator and founder of one of the first schools for girls in New York City.
5. Robert Thralls (1835-1901), a British politician and member of Parliament for the constituency of Northampton.

Over the centuries, the surname Thralls has undergone various spelling variations, including Thrall, Thrales, Thrawls, and Throlls, reflecting the fluidity of surname spellings before they became standardized in more recent times.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Thralls

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

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

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

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