2000
#130,443
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Thrams
Of English/Germanic origin, a topographic surname referring to someone who lived near a gap or rift.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 110 Americans carry the last name Thrams. That puts it at #156,540 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,115,949 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Thrams surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
110
1 in 3,115,949
Census rank
#156,540
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
96
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 96 bearers of the surname Thrams in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 156540th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Thrams, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Thrams
The surname THRAMS originates from Germany and can be traced back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old German word "thram," which means a beam or a threshold, suggesting that the name may have been given to someone who lived near or worked with wooden beams or thresholds.
The earliest known recorded instance of the name THRAMS can be found in the baptismal records of a small village near Cologne, dating back to 1534. It was listed as "Thrammes," which was likely an earlier spelling variation of the same name.
In the late 16th century, the name THRAMS appeared in the town records of Heidelberg, where a family of woodworkers and carpenters carried this surname. This suggests a connection between the name and the occupation of working with wood, further reinforcing the potential origin of the name from the Old German word "thram."
Throughout the 17th and 18th centuries, the name THRAMS spread across various regions of Germany, with several notable individuals bearing this surname. One of the earliest recorded was Johann Thrams (1592-1667), a respected theologian and author from Saxony, who wrote several works on religious philosophy.
Another prominent figure was Christoph Thrams (1699-1778), a celebrated architect and builder from Bavaria. He was responsible for designing and constructing several notable buildings, including the iconic Church of St. Michael in Munich.
In the 19th century, the name THRAMS found its way to the United States, as German immigrants began to settle in various parts of the country. One notable American with this surname was William Thrams (1832-1892), a successful businessman and entrepreneur from Pennsylvania, who established a thriving textile manufacturing company.
Another notable individual was Marie Thrams (1856-1927), a German-born artist and sculptor who gained recognition for her intricate works in bronze and marble. Her sculptures can be found in several museums and galleries across Europe.
As for place names or locations associated with the surname THRAMS, there is a small village called Thramsdorf in Bavaria, which may have derived its name from the same Old German root word as the surname. However, there is no conclusive evidence linking the surname directly to this village.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Thrams
Among Census respondents with the surname Thrams, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Thrams bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Thrams surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White97.9% · 94
- Hispanic or Latino1.0% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Thrams
Thrams appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#129,825
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 131
+11 bearers (+9.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 618 places
2020
#156,540
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 96
-35 bearers (-26.7%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 26,715 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #130,443 | 120 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #129,825 | 131 | 0.04 | +11 bearers (+9.2%) | Up 618 places |
| 2020 | #156,540 | 96 | 0.03 | -35 bearers (-26.7%) | Down 26,715 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Thrams surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #129,825 | #156,540 | -20.6% |
| Count | 131 | 96 | -26.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -19.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Thrams bearers went from 131 to 96 (-26.7% change). The surname moved down 26,715 positions in the national ranking, going from #129,825 to #156,540.
FAQ
Thrams surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Thrams?
Name Census estimates that about 110 living Americans carry the surname Thrams. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,115,949 residents.
How common is Thrams?
Thrams ranks #156,540 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 96 people with the surname Thrams. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (110), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Thrams.
Has Thrams become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Thrams went from 131 recorded bearers to 96. That is a decrease of 35 (-26.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #129,825 to #156,540.
What does the Census say about the background of Thrams?
Among Census respondents with the surname Thrams, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Thrams in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.9% (94 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Thrams appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (97.9%), Hispanic (1.0%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Thrams (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Thrams mean?
Of English/Germanic origin, a topographic surname referring to someone who lived near a gap or rift. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Thrams (0.03 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How common is the surname Thrams?
See how many Americans have the surname Thrams on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.