2010
#159,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Thunhorst
A German surname derived from place names meaning a village or town adjacent to a thorn bush or thorn thicket.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 116 Americans carry the last name Thunhorst. That puts it at #155,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,954,779 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Thunhorst 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
116
1 in 2,954,779
Census rank
#155,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
101
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 101 bearers of the surname Thunhorst in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 155270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Thunhorst, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Thunhorst
The surname Thunhorst is of Germanic origin, originating in the regions of northern Germany and the Netherlands during the Middle Ages. It is believed to be derived from a combination of the Old German words "thun" meaning "hill" or "mound," and "horst" meaning "nest" or "aerie." This suggests that the name may have referred to a person who lived near a hilltop settlement or a prominent hill with a nest or aerie on top.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Thunhorst can be found in the Codex Traditionum Westfalicarum, a medieval manuscript from the 12th century that documented land transactions and property ownership in the region of Westphalia, located in present-day North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. The name is mentioned in connection with a landowner or noble family in the vicinity of the town of Lippstadt.
During the 13th century, the Thunhorst name appeared in various records and chronicles associated with the Teutonic Knights, a Germanic Catholic military order that played a significant role in the Northern Crusades and the Christianization of Prussia and the Baltic regions. It is possible that members of the Thunhorst family served as knights or vassals within the order's ranks.
One notable figure bearing the Thunhorst name was Johann von Thunhorst, a 14th-century knight and landowner from the region of Pomerania, located in present-day northern Germany and western Poland. Records from the time indicate that he participated in military campaigns and held significant landholdings in the area around the city of Stettin (now Szczecin, Poland).
In the 16th century, the Thunhorst name was associated with a prominent family of merchants and traders based in the Hanseatic city of Lübeck, located in present-day northern Germany. The family's wealth and influence stemmed from their involvement in the lucrative Baltic Sea trade routes, with records indicating their participation in the export of goods such as timber, furs, and amber.
Another significant figure was Wilhelm Thunhorst (1567-1628), a German theologian and philosopher who served as a professor at the University of Rostock. He was renowned for his writings on ethics and moral philosophy, and his work influenced intellectual discourse during the Renaissance period.
Throughout the centuries, the Thunhorst name has been found in various regions of Germany, the Netherlands, and other parts of northern Europe, suggesting that the family or families bearing this surname may have migrated or established branches in different areas over time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Thunhorst
Among Census respondents with the surname Thunhorst, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Thunhorst 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 Thunhorst surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.1% · 91
- Hispanic or Latino4.0% · 4
- Two or more races4.0% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.0% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Thunhorst
Thunhorst appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#155,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Up 4,442 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #159,712 | 101 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #155,270 | 101 | 0.03 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Up 4,442 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 Thunhorst 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 | #159,712 | #155,270 | 2.8% |
| Count | 101 | 101 | 0.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.03 | 12.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Thunhorst bearers went from 101 to 101 (+0.0% change). The surname moved up 4,442 positions in the national ranking, going from #159,712 to #155,270.
FAQ
Thunhorst surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Thunhorst?
Name Census estimates that about 116 living Americans carry the surname Thunhorst. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,954,779 residents.
How common is Thunhorst?
Thunhorst ranks #155,270 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 101 people with the surname Thunhorst. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (116), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Thunhorst.
Has Thunhorst become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Thunhorst went from 101 recorded bearers to 101. That is an increase of 0 (+0.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #159,712 to #155,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Thunhorst?
Among Census respondents with the surname Thunhorst, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Thunhorst in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.1% (91 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Thunhorst appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.1%), Hispanic (4.0%), Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Thunhorst (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 Thunhorst mean?
A German surname derived from place names meaning a village or town adjacent to a thorn bush or thorn thicket. 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 Thunhorst (0.03 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 common is the surname Thunhorst?
You can see how many people have the surname Thunhorst on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.