2000
#10,557
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,788
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.03
Rare Last name
Threadgill
A surname referring to someone who lived near a narrow stream or creek, from Old English "thredgill."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,178 Americans carry the last name Threadgill. That puts it at #10,972 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.93 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 107,852 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Threadgill 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Threadgill with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.2K
1 in 107,852
Census rank
#10,972
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,771 bearers of the surname Threadgill in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.93 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10972nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Threadgill, the largest self-reported group is White at 61.7%. The next largest groups are Black (28.9%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Threadgill
The surname Threadgill is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is thought to have derived from the Old English words "thræd" meaning thread, and "gill" referring to a narrow valley or ravine. This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near a valley or ravine where thread was produced or processed.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1166, where it appears as "Thredegill". This provides evidence that the name was in use as early as the 12th century in the Yorkshire region of England.
During the 13th century, variations of the name appeared in various records, such as the Hundred Rolls of 1273, where it was spelled as "Thredgill". This suggests that the name had spread to different parts of England and was subject to slight spelling variations.
In the 14th century, the surname Threadgill was recorded in the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in Yorkshire, where it was spelled as "Thredgyll". This further solidifies the connection between the name and the Yorkshire region during the medieval period.
One notable person with the surname Threadgill was William Threadgill, who was born in Yorkshire in the late 16th century. He was a prominent merchant and landowner, and his name appears in various records from that time.
Another individual of historical significance was Thomas Threadgill, born in 1609 in Nottinghamshire, England. He was a Baptist minister and one of the founders of the Baptist movement in America, having emigrated to Virginia in the mid-17th century.
In the 18th century, John Threadgill, born in 1712 in Somerset, England, was a skilled carpenter and builder who is credited with constructing several notable buildings in the region.
The name also has connections to the United States, with one of the earliest recorded instances being William Threadgill, who was born in Virginia in 1740 and served as a soldier during the American Revolutionary War.
Another notable figure was Samuel Threadgill, born in 1820 in North Carolina. He was a prominent farmer and landowner, and his name appears in several land records from the mid-19th century.
While the surname Threadgill has its roots in England, it has since spread to various parts of the world, with descendants bearing the name found in countries like the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Threadgill
Among Census respondents with the surname Threadgill, the largest self-reported group is White at 61.7%. The next largest groups are Black (28.9%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Threadgill 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 Threadgill surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White61.7% · 1,711
- Black or African American28.9% · 800
- Two or more races4.5% · 125
- Hispanic or Latino4.1% · 113
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 12
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Threadgill
Threadgill 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
#10,880
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,930
+142 bearers (+5.1%)
Per 100,000 0.99
Rank movement Down 323 places
2020
#10,972
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,771
-159 bearers (-5.4%)
Per 100,000 0.93
Rank movement Down 92 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,557 | 2,788 | 1.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,880 | 2,930 | 0.99 | +142 bearers (+5.1%) | Down 323 places |
| 2020 | #10,972 | 2,771 | 0.93 | -159 bearers (-5.4%) | Down 92 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 Threadgill 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 | #10,880 | #10,972 | -0.8% |
| Count | 2,930 | 2,771 | -5.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.99 | 0.93 | -6.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Threadgill bearers went from 2,930 to 2,771 (-5.4% change). The surname moved down 92 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,880 to #10,972.
FAQ
Threadgill surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Threadgill?
Name Census estimates that about 3,178 living Americans carry the surname Threadgill. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 107,852 residents.
How common is Threadgill?
Threadgill ranks #10,972 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.93 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,771 people with the surname Threadgill. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,178), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.93 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.93 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Threadgill.
Has Threadgill become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Threadgill went from 2,930 recorded bearers to 2,771. That is a decrease of 159 (-5.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,880 to #10,972.
What does the Census say about the background of Threadgill?
Among Census respondents with the surname Threadgill, the largest self-reported group is White at 61.7%. The next largest groups are Black (28.9%) and Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Threadgill in the 2020 Census, accounting for 61.7% (1,711 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Threadgill appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (61.7%), Black (28.9%), Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Threadgill (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 Threadgill mean?
A surname referring to someone who lived near a narrow stream or creek, from Old English "thredgill." 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 Threadgill (0.93 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 many Americans have the surname Threadgill?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.