2000
#55,376
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 347
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.13
Very Rare Last name
Thuma
A German surname meaning "to go round" or "to wander around".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 466 Americans carry the last name Thuma. That puts it at #54,736 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.14 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 735,524 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Thuma 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
466
1 in 735,524
Census rank
#54,736
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
406
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 406 bearers of the surname Thuma in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.14 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 54736th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Thuma, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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The Thuma surname is also found in the renowned Codex Diplomaticus, a collection of historical documents compiled in the 18th century.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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Thuma
Among Census respondents with the surname Thuma, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Thuma 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 Thuma surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.2% · 362
- Hispanic or Latino4.4% · 18
- Two or more races2.5% · 10
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 7
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.5% · 6
- Black or African American0.7% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Thuma
Thuma 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
#66,164
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 299
-48 bearers (-13.8%)
Per 100,000 0.10
Rank movement Down 10,788 places
2020
#54,736
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 406
+107 bearers (+35.8%)
Per 100,000 0.14
Rank movement Up 11,428 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #55,376 | 347 | 0.13 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #66,164 | 299 | 0.10 | -48 bearers (-13.8%) | Down 10,788 places |
| 2020 | #54,736 | 406 | 0.14 | +107 bearers (+35.8%) | Up 11,428 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 Thuma 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 | #66,164 | #54,736 | 17.3% |
| Count | 299 | 406 | 35.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.10 | 0.14 | 35.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Thuma bearers went from 299 to 406 (+35.8% change). The surname moved up 11,428 positions in the national ranking, going from #66,164 to #54,736.
FAQ
Thuma surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Thuma?
Name Census estimates that about 466 living Americans carry the surname Thuma. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 735,524 residents.
How common is Thuma?
Thuma ranks #54,736 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.14 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 406 people with the surname Thuma. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (466), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.14 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.14 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 Thuma.
Has Thuma become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Thuma went from 299 recorded bearers to 406. That is an increase of 107 (+35.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #66,164 to #54,736.
What does the Census say about the background of Thuma?
Among Census respondents with the surname Thuma, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) and Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Thuma in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.2% (362 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Thuma appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.2%), Hispanic (4.4%), Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Thuma (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 Thuma mean?
A German surname meaning "to go round" or "to wander around". 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 Thuma (0.14 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 have the last name Thuma?
If you just want to know how many people have the surname Thuma, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.