Thrower last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Thrower

An occupational surname referring to someone who twists silk or wool threads or operates a throwing machine.

Thrower, 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 Thrower surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Thrower in America

Thrower is the 6828th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Thrower surname appeared 4,938 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Thrower.

We can also compare 2010 data for Thrower 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 6828 6518 4.65%
Count 4,938 4,801 2.81%
Proportion per 100k 1.67 1.78 -6.38%

The history of the last name Thrower

The surname Thrower is an English occupational name derived from the Old English word "thrawan" meaning to throw or hurl. It likely originated from someone who practiced the skilled labor of throwing or casting items, such as a potter or a blacksmith.

Thrower is found in records dating back to the 13th century in various parts of England. One of the earliest recorded instances is Walter le Throuwere, mentioned in the Assize Court Rolls of Staffordshire in 1292.

In the 14th century, the name appeared in several documents, including the Subsidy Rolls of Yorkshire in 1327, where a John le Thrower was listed. The Hundred Rolls of 1273 also referenced a William le Throuwere from Norfolk.

During the medieval period, the name was often spelled with variations like Throuwere, Throwere, and Thrawer, reflecting the evolving nature of English spelling and pronunciation.

One notable individual with this surname was John Thrower, a 16th-century English martyr who was burned at the stake in Lewes, Sussex, in 1556 for his Protestant beliefs during the Marian Persecutions under Queen Mary I.

In the 17th century, the name appeared in various parish records across England. For example, the baptism of Thomas Thrower was recorded in St. Giles Cripplegate, London, in 1631.

Another historical figure was Benjamin Thrower, a 17th-century English clergyman and author who served as the Rector of Bocking, Essex. He published several works, including "The Doctrine of Schism" in 1683.

Moving into the 18th century, William Thrower was a notable English architect and surveyor who worked extensively in London and surrounding areas. He designed several churches and public buildings, including the Shire Hall in Chelmsford, Essex, completed in 1792.

In the 19th century, John Thrower was a prominent English cricketer who played for Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club between 1849 and 1866. He was known for his exceptional bowling skills and played several notable matches during his career.

The Thrower surname has also been associated with various place names in England, such as Thrower's Green in Oxfordshire and Thrower's Hill in Derbyshire, suggesting that the name may have originated from or been influenced by these locations.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Thrower

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

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 Thrower was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 55.67% 2,749
Non-Hispanic Black Only 39.55% 1,953
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 0.61% 30
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.49% 24
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 2.41% 119
Hispanic Origin 1.28% 63

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 Thrower has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 55.67% 57.68% -3.55%
Black 39.55% 38.49% 2.72%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.61% 0.48% 23.85%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.49% 0.40% 20.22%
Two or More Races 2.41% 1.71% 33.98%
Hispanic 1.28% 1.25% 2.37%

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!

"Thrower last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on November 22, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/thrower-surname-popularity/.

"Thrower last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/thrower-surname-popularity/. Accessed 22 November, 2024

Thrower last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/thrower-surname-popularity/.

Search for a name

Search for a first or last name to learn more about its origin, meaning, and more.

Simple as that.