2000
#105,374
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 157
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.06
Very Rare Last name
Thren
A surname derived from a place name containing the element "tren", possibly meaning "tree" or "settlement".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 140 Americans carry the last name Thren. That puts it at #140,525 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,448,245 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Thren 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
140
1 in 2,448,245
Census rank
#140,525
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
122
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 122 bearers of the surname Thren in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 140525th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Thren, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (0.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Thren
The surname THREN is believed to have originated in the region of Westphalia, in present-day Germany, during the medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Old German word "thren," which means "to spin" or "to twist," indicating a potential connection to the textile industry or occupations related to spinning or weaving.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name THREN can be found in the medieval Codex Diplomaticus, a collection of historical documents from the 9th to the 13th centuries. In this codex, a certain "Threnhold" is mentioned as a landowner in the town of Münster, located in the Westphalia region, around the year 1175.
The THREN surname is also believed to have been associated with the town of Threnau, which was located in the former Prussian province of Westphalia. This town's name may have contributed to the surname's formation, as it was common for people to adopt surnames derived from the places they lived or were born.
During the 16th century, a prominent figure named Johannes Thren (1516-1586) was a Lutheran theologian and reformer who played a significant role in the Reformation movement. He was born in the town of Hersfeld, in Hesse, Germany, and is known for his contributions to the development of Protestant theology.
Another notable individual with the THREN surname was Friedrich Thren (1781-1860), a German painter and engraver who was born in Berlin. He is best known for his landscape paintings and engravings depicting scenes from the Brandenburg region of Germany.
In the 19th century, a German-American named Carl Thren (1827-1901) gained recognition as a talented architect and civil engineer. He was born in Hanover, Germany, and later immigrated to the United States, where he designed several notable buildings, including the Old State Capitol building in Springfield, Illinois.
One of the most prominent figures with the THREN surname was the German philosopher and writer Rudolf Thren (1871-1945). He was born in Leichlingen, in the Rhineland region of Germany, and is known for his works on philosophy, aesthetics, and cultural criticism.
While the surname THREN may not be as widespread as some other German surnames, it has a rich history rooted in the medieval period and has been associated with notable individuals throughout the centuries, particularly in the fields of theology, art, architecture, and philosophy.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Thren
Among Census respondents with the surname Thren, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (0.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Thren 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 Thren surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White98.4% · 120
- Hispanic or Latino0.8% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Thren
Thren 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
-26 bearers (-16.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 24,451 places
2020
#140,525
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 122
-9 bearers (-6.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 10,700 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #105,374 | 157 | 0.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #129,825 | 131 | 0.04 | -26 bearers (-16.6%) | Down 24,451 places |
| 2020 | #140,525 | 122 | 0.04 | -9 bearers (-6.9%) | Down 10,700 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 Thren 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 | #140,525 | -8.2% |
| Count | 131 | 122 | -6.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 2.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Thren bearers went from 131 to 122 (-6.9% change). The surname moved down 10,700 positions in the national ranking, going from #129,825 to #140,525.
FAQ
Thren surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Thren?
Name Census estimates that about 140 living Americans carry the surname Thren. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,448,245 residents.
How common is Thren?
Thren ranks #140,525 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 122 people with the surname Thren. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (140), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Thren.
Has Thren become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Thren went from 131 recorded bearers to 122. That is a decrease of 9 (-6.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #129,825 to #140,525.
What does the Census say about the background of Thren?
Among Census respondents with the surname Thren, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (0.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.8%). 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 Thren in the 2020 Census, accounting for 98.4% (120 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Thren appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (98.4%), Hispanic (0.8%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.8%). 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 Thren (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 Thren mean?
A surname derived from a place name containing the element "tren", possibly meaning "tree" or "settlement". 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 Thren (0.04 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 Thren?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how common the surname Thren is at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.