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

Thurow, 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 Thurow surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Thurow in America

Thurow is the 30863rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Thurow surname appeared 754 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 Thurow.

We can also compare 2010 data for Thurow 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 Thurow

The surname Thurow has its origins in the northern German region of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, where it first appeared in the 13th century. The name is derived from the Old German word "thur," meaning a tower, gate, or door, suggesting that the earliest bearers of this name may have lived near a fortified structure or entrance to a town or village.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Thurow can be found in the Hanseatic League records from the city of Rostock, dated 1327. This document mentions a merchant named Hinrich Thurow, who traded in goods along the Baltic coast. During the Middle Ages, the name also appeared in various spellings, such as Thurewe, Thurouw, and Thurau, reflecting the regional dialects and scribal variations of the time.

In the 16th century, the Thurow surname gained prominence in the town of Güstrow, where a family of prominent landowners and local officials bore this name. Notable among them was Johann Thurow (1532-1612), a respected magistrate and member of the town council, whose descendants continued to hold positions of influence in the region for several generations.

As the name spread across northern Germany, it also found its way into historical records in neighboring regions. In the 17th century, a merchant named Christoph Thurow (1645-1715) from Hamburg is mentioned in the archives of the Dutch East India Company, indicating his involvement in the lucrative spice trade with the East Indies.

Another notable figure bearing the Thurow surname was Johann Gottfried Thurow (1711-1783), a German composer and organist who served as the Kapellmeister (music director) at the court of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. His compositions, though largely forgotten today, were highly regarded in his time and reflect the rich musical traditions of northern Germany.

In the 19th century, the Thurow name gained international recognition through the work of George Thurow (1824-1891), a German-born American engineer and inventor. Thurow is credited with developing several innovative agricultural machines, including an early form of the mechanical reaper, which revolutionized farming practices in the United States.

Throughout its history, the surname Thurow has maintained a strong presence in northern Germany, particularly in the states of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Schleswig-Holstein, and Lower Saxony. While not among the most common surnames in the region, it has been borne by individuals from various walks of life, including scholars, artisans, and professionals.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Thurow

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

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

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

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