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

Thuma, 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 Thuma surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Thuma in America

Thuma is the 66164th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Thuma surname appeared 299 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Thuma.

We can also compare 2010 data for Thuma 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.

The history of the last name Thuma

The surname Thuma has its origins in the German language and can be traced back to the late 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old German word "thumen," which means "thumb." This suggests that the name may have been given as a nickname to someone with a distinctive thumb or hand.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Thuma can be found in the town records of Bamberg, Germany, from the year 1587. The entry refers to a certain Hans Thuma, a blacksmith by trade. This provides evidence that the name was already in use during the late Renaissance period.

In the 17th century, the name Thuma appears in various church records and legal documents across southern Germany, particularly in the regions of Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg. This indicates that the name was well-established in these areas during this time.

The Thuma surname is also found in the renowned Codex Diplomaticus, a collection of historical documents compiled in the 18th century. One such document, dated 1712, mentions a Johann Friedrich Thuma, a landowner from the town of Esslingen near Stuttgart.

Interestingly, the name Thuma has also been associated with certain place names in Germany. For instance, the village of Thumasee in Bavaria bears a striking resemblance to the surname, although the exact connection remains unclear.

Throughout history, several notable individuals have carried the Thuma surname. One such person was Johann Christoph Thuma (1691-1763), a German composer and organist who was renowned for his church music compositions during the Baroque period.

Another significant figure was Karl Thuma (1792-1857), a Prussian military officer who fought in the Napoleonic Wars and later served as a general in the Prussian army.

In the field of literature, August Thuma (1816-1891) was a German writer and poet who gained recognition for his lyrical works and contributions to the literary scene of the 19th century.

Moving into the 20th century, we find Wilhelm Thuma (1892-1944), a German engineer who played a crucial role in the development of early rocket technology and worked alongside pioneers like Wernher von Braun.

Finally, it is worth mentioning Heinz Thuma (1929-2018), a German businessman and philanthropist who founded a successful construction company and later established a charitable foundation to support educational initiatives.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Thuma

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

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 Thuma was:

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

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

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

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