2000
#108,153
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 152
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.06
Very Rare Last name
Thrope
A locality surname referring to someone from a thorpe or small village.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 138 Americans carry the last name Thrope. That puts it at #142,049 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,483,727 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Thrope 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 Thrope with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
138
1 in 2,483,727
Census rank
#142,049
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
120
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 120 bearers of the surname Thrope in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142049th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Thrope, the largest self-reported group is White at 57.5%. The next largest groups are Black (34.2%) and Hispanic (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Thrope
The surname Thrope has its origins in England, dating back to the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "þrop," which means a hamlet or small village. This suggests that the name may have been initially given to someone who lived in a small settlement or hamlet.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Northamptonshire from 1196, where a person named Robertus de Thrope was mentioned. This indicates that the surname was already in use by the late 12th century.
In the 13th century, the name appeared in various records, such as the Hundred Rolls of 1273, where a certain William de Throp was listed. This spelling variation, "Throp," was common in medieval times and reflects the changes in pronunciation over time.
Thrope is also linked to certain place names in England, such as Thorpe, which is found in various locations across the country. These place names likely influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname over the centuries.
Historically, there have been several notable individuals who bore the surname Thrope. One such person was John Thrope, a 14th-century English philosopher and theologian who was active in the early 1300s. Another was Sir William Thrope, a 15th-century knight and landowner who lived in Nottinghamshire between 1420 and 1492.
In the 16th century, a prominent figure named Thomas Thrope was a member of the clergy and served as the Bishop of Norwich from 1536 to 1545. Around the same time, a merchant named Richard Thrope was involved in trade with the Netherlands and is mentioned in various records from the 1520s.
Moving into the 17th century, we find records of a playwright and poet named Edward Thrope, who was born in 1613 and is known for his works such as "The Merry Wives of Windsor" and "The Taming of the Shrew."
These examples demonstrate the long history and varied backgrounds of individuals who have carried the surname Thrope over the centuries. While the name may have originated from humble beginnings in small villages, it has been borne by individuals from diverse walks of life, including clergy, nobility, merchants, and intellectuals.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Thrope
Among Census respondents with the surname Thrope, the largest self-reported group is White at 57.5%. The next largest groups are Black (34.2%) and Hispanic (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Thrope 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 Thrope surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White57.5% · 69
- Black or African American34.2% · 41
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 4
- Two or more races3.3% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Thrope
Thrope 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
#136,449
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 123
-29 bearers (-19.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 28,296 places
2020
#142,049
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
-3 bearers (-2.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 5,600 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #108,153 | 152 | 0.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #136,449 | 123 | 0.04 | -29 bearers (-19.1%) | Down 28,296 places |
| 2020 | #142,049 | 120 | 0.04 | -3 bearers (-2.4%) | Down 5,600 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 Thrope 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 | #136,449 | #142,049 | -4.1% |
| Count | 123 | 120 | -2.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 0.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Thrope bearers went from 123 to 120 (-2.4% change). The surname moved down 5,600 positions in the national ranking, going from #136,449 to #142,049.
FAQ
Thrope surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Thrope?
Name Census estimates that about 138 living Americans carry the surname Thrope. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,483,727 residents.
How common is Thrope?
Thrope ranks #142,049 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 120 people with the surname Thrope. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (138), 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 Thrope.
Has Thrope become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Thrope went from 123 recorded bearers to 120. That is a decrease of 3 (-2.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #136,449 to #142,049.
What does the Census say about the background of Thrope?
Among Census respondents with the surname Thrope, the largest self-reported group is White at 57.5%. The next largest groups are Black (34.2%) and Hispanic (3.3%). 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 Thrope in the 2020 Census, accounting for 57.5% (69 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Thrope appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (57.5%), Black (34.2%), Hispanic (3.3%). 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 Thrope (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 Thrope mean?
A locality surname referring to someone from a thorpe or small village. 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 Thrope (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 many people share the surname Thrope?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.