The Thorne surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 18,738 people carried this name — #1,922 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 15,700 people counted. That is up 3% from 18,222 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Thorne surname

An English surname from Middle English, variant of Thorn.

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Thorne» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley classes it as a local name, from where the family lived: ‘at the thorn’.

An early record he cites: Adam atte Thorne, Somerset, 1327–28 (1 Edward III) — Kirby's Quest (Somerset).

His entry covers Thorn, Thorne and Thorns.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 746 · public domain.

In Argentina’s national register

At least 37 people named Thorne live in Argentina.

RENAPER only publishes a name in a province when more than ten people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Buenos Aires Province.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

Buenos Aires Province 22
City of Buenos Aires 15

RENAPER (National Registry of Persons, Argentina), surnames of residents by province, December 2021 — CC BY 4.0.

In the Nordic population registers

279 people named Thorne is counted in Sweden.

Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published.

Counted, by country

Sweden (2022) 279

Own calculations based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), surnames with at least two bearers, 31 December 2022 — CC BY 4.0 (names with 20 or more bearers shown).

Among the farmers of England and Wales, 1880s

Thorne was found among the farmers of 7 counties.

It was most frequent in Devon: 37 in every 10,000 farmers there — about 1 in 270. Guppy counted the farmers listed in each county’s directory and recorded a name only where it reached about 7 in every 10,000; where it does not appear, it was rarer than that, not absent. His list gives one count for the spellings Thorn and Thorne.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Per 10,000 farmers, by county

Devon 37
Somerset 22
Buckinghamshire 18
Dorset 18
Kent 12
Wiltshire 9
Berkshire 8

H. B. Guppy, «Homes of Family Names in Great Britain» (London, 1890), alphabetical list of English and Welsh names — public domain · farmers in Kelly’s Post Office Directories of the 1880s, per 10,000 farmers in each county.

In Scotland’s registers today

Thorne was recorded 10 times in Scotland’s registers of births, marriages and deaths in 2025.

That made it the 1929th most common name in those registers, shared with others on the same count. Each birth counts the child’s surname, each marriage both partners’ and each death the surname of the person who died — a yearly count of registrations, not of the people who live in Scotland.

National Records of Scotland, «Most Common Surnames, 2025» (published 26 May 2026): every surname recorded 10 or more times in the 2025 registers, and the series from 1975 · different spellings are counted separately — © Crown copyright 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

In the first U.S. census, 1790

In 1790, Thorne was counted together with Thorn: 124 families in all.

Each family is counted by its head. About 755 people lived in those households, 6.1 to a family on average. The census counted these spellings together: Thorn, Thorne. The table lists white heads of families only, in the twelve states whose 1790 records survive; Virginia’s figures come from state lists of 1782–1785.

Families, by state

New York 61
Pennsylvania 15
Maryland 11
North Carolina 11
New Hampshire 7
Maine 6
South Carolina 5
Virginia 4
Massachusetts 2
Connecticut 2

U.S. Census Bureau, «A Century of Population Growth from the First Census of the United States to the Twelfth, 1790–1900» (Washington, 1909), table 111, p. 265 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

Thorne in American newspapers,
1912–1916.

Newspaper page from The Ogden Standard carrying the name Thorne
The Ogden Standard 1916-02-09
Newspaper page from The Lemmon Herald carrying the name Thorne
The Lemmon Herald 1912-06-28
Newspaper page from The Lemmon Herald carrying the name Thorne
The Lemmon Herald 1912-06-21

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 3,526 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Thorne in Australian newspapers,
1820s–2000s.

49,051 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Thorne. The most, 7,010, date from the 1910s. New South Wales has the most articles, but weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, the name stands out most in Tasmania, at 1.6 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 14,308
Queensland 12,893
Victoria 9,985
Tasmania 5,038
South Australia 3,427
Western Australia 3,106
ACT (Canberra) 200
Northern Territory 36

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Thorne.

Who carried it

People named Thorne,
with a public archive behind them.

  • John Thorne d. 1573 · composer
  • Helen Louise Ann Thorne d. 1962
  • Anne Harriet Thorne d. 1882
  • Doris Jenny Jones d. 1947
  • Katherine Sarah Thorne d. 1826
  • Mary Rose Thorne d. 1927

Wikidata (CC0) · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Thorne,
in the records of 8 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States2,079 records

2,079 records of the Thorne name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 611
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 537
  • Other U.S. records 931
  1. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Robert Walter Thorne

    Born 1950; from Denver, Colorado. U.S. Army, heavy vehicle driver; killed in action 1971 in Quang Tri, South Vietnam. Buried at Fort Logan National Cemetery, Colorado.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Fred A. Thorne

    Born 1917 in Tennessee. Enlisted 1941 at Fort McPherson Atlanta, Georgia; shipping clerk. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 2000, buried at Maplewood Cemetery, Pulaski, Tennessee.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record George Thorne

    Arrived at New York in 1885 aboard the England from Liverpool, aged 22; goldbeater. From Birmingham, England; bound for New York.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)

Showing 3 of 2,079 records for Thorne in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · City of Asheville (public domain, PDDL). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Australia1,735 records

1,735 records of the Thorne name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 674
  • Tasmanian Names Index 539
  • Other Australian records 522
  1. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record Matilda Thorne

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the St Vincent, sailing from London in 1849. Native of Covent Garden, Middlesex. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1854. Married 1854 in Launceston, Tasmania, aged 30.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Robert Edmund Thorne

    Died 1925 in New¿norfolk, Tasmania. Will registered in Tasmania in 1926.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Minnie Mary Thorne

    Born 1866 in Sorell, Tasmania. Died 1928 in Tasmania, aged 61.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 1,735 records for Thorne in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · ACT Government, Transport Canberra and City Services (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

Canada403 records

403 records of the Thorne name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 285
  • City of Calgary cemetery records 31
  • Other Canadian records 87
  1. A Canadian First World War grave register card for a soldier who died of wounds in 1917
    Example: Canadian war grave register, 1917
    War record Arden Rufus Thorne

    Served in the No. 2 Construction Battalion in the First World War, private; of St James, Barbados, British West Indies.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record James Thorne

    Came to Ontario in 1871 aboard the St. Andrew, bound for Acton, Ontario; Scotch.

    Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
  3. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Gladys Mary Thorne

    Buried in 1963 at Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, Nova Scotia, aged 76.

    Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax.

Showing 3 of 403 records for Thorne in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · City of Niagara Falls. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Niagara Falls. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · Contains information provided by the City of Waterloo under licence. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Canadian First World War circumstances-of-death register (scan by Scottgraham87 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0).

Norway58 records

58 records of the Thorne name in Norway Norway's 1910 census
  1. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Census record Olaf Thørne

    Census of 1910: Vemork, Tinn; labourer, born 1880 in Sweden.

    Arkivverket, Digitalarkivet, 1910 census (CC BY 3.0 NO)
  2. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Census record Petrea Kristiane Thorne

    Census of 1910: Evje, Rygge; "godseierfrue", born 1844 in Moss.

    Arkivverket, Digitalarkivet, 1910 census (CC BY 3.0 NO)
  3. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Census record Theodor Thorne

    Census of 1910: Hildeborg, Aker; "advokat", born 1838 in Gjerdrum.

    Arkivverket, Digitalarkivet, 1910 census (CC BY 3.0 NO)

Showing 3 of 58 records for Thorne in Norway.

Counts: Arkivverket, Digitalarkivet, 1910 census (CC BY 3.0 NO). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. census of 1910, Milwaukee (public domain).

United Kingdom36 records

36 records of the Thorne name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 28
  • Welsh wills index cards 4
  • Other British records 4
  1. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record George Fuke Thorne

    Will proved in 1939; of Swansea.

    National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Martin Thorne

    Buried in 1833 at St James's burial ground, Euston, London, aged 83.

    MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  3. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record A. Thorne

    Scots Guards. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1917.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)

Showing 3 of 36 records for Thorne in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0) · MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

New Zealand32 records

32 records of the Thorne name in New Zealand Christchurch City cemetery records
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record James Thorne

    Died 1946, aged 73; buried at Sydenham Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record John Thomas Thorne

    Died 1999, aged 80; buried at Ruru Lawn, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record George Thorne

    Died 1929, aged 77; buried at Bromley Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 32 records for Thorne in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

Netherlands19 records

19 records of the Thorne name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch population registers 14
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 4
  • Dutch church registers before 1811 1
  1. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Population register Johannis Thorne

    In the population register of Best; tailor, born in Best.

    Open Archives, Regionaal Historisch Centrum Eindhoven (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Basil Thorne

    Married in 1945 in Nijmegen; "instrumentenmaker".

    Open Archives, Gelders Archief (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Elizabeth Mary Ann Thorne

    Married in 1910 in Amsterdam.

    Open Archives, Noord-Hollands Archief (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 19 records for Thorne in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. census of 1910, Milwaukee (public domain); Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain).

France6 records

6 records of the Thorne name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Guy Frederic Charles Thorne

    Born 1919 in Paris; died 2000 in Montpellier (Hérault).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  2. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Evelyne Constance Thorne

    Born 1900 in Great Britain; died 1997 in Nice (Alpes-Maritimes).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Showing 2 of 6 records for Thorne in France.

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Other spellings of this name

The same name, spelled another way.

Spellings that H. B. Guppy (England and Wales, 1890) or the Registrar-General for Ireland (births index of 1890) counted as one name together with Thorne.

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Thorne.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Thorne is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

See the Thorne volume
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