2000
#6,518
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,801
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.78
Rare Last name
Thrower
An occupational surname referring to someone who twists silk or wool threads or operates a throwing machine.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,376 Americans carry the last name Thrower. That puts it at #6,906 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.57 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 63,756 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Thrower 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 Thrower with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.4K
1 in 63,756
Census rank
#6,906
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,688 bearers of the surname Thrower in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.57 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6906th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Thrower, the largest self-reported group is White at 53.4%. The next largest groups are Black (38.4%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Thrower
Among Census respondents with the surname Thrower, the largest self-reported group is White at 53.4%. The next largest groups are Black (38.4%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Thrower 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 Thrower surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White53.4% · 2,502
- Black or African American38.4% · 1,800
- Two or more races4.8% · 225
- Hispanic or Latino2.2% · 104
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 35
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 22
Timeline
Historical Census data for Thrower
Thrower 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
#6,828
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,938
+137 bearers (+2.9%)
Per 100,000 1.67
Rank movement Down 310 places
2020
#6,906
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,688
-250 bearers (-5.1%)
Per 100,000 1.57
Rank movement Down 78 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,518 | 4,801 | 1.78 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,828 | 4,938 | 1.67 | +137 bearers (+2.9%) | Down 310 places |
| 2020 | #6,906 | 4,688 | 1.57 | -250 bearers (-5.1%) | Down 78 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 Thrower 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 | #6,828 | #6,906 | -1.1% |
| Count | 4,938 | 4,688 | -5.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.67 | 1.57 | -6.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Thrower bearers went from 4,938 to 4,688 (-5.1% change). The surname moved down 78 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,828 to #6,906.
FAQ
Thrower surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Thrower?
Name Census estimates that about 5,376 living Americans carry the surname Thrower. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 63,756 residents.
How common is Thrower?
Thrower ranks #6,906 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.57 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,688 people with the surname Thrower. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,376), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.57 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.57 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Thrower.
Has Thrower become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Thrower went from 4,938 recorded bearers to 4,688. That is a decrease of 250 (-5.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,828 to #6,906.
What does the Census say about the background of Thrower?
Among Census respondents with the surname Thrower, the largest self-reported group is White at 53.4%. The next largest groups are Black (38.4%) and Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Thrower in the 2020 Census, accounting for 53.4% (2,502 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Thrower appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (53.4%), Black (38.4%), Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Thrower (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 Thrower mean?
An occupational surname referring to someone who twists silk or wool threads or operates a throwing machine. 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 Thrower (1.57 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 are called Thrower?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the last name Thrower at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.