The Thorson surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 6,752 people carried this name — #5,173 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 43,700 people counted. That is up 2% from 6,643 in 2000.

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In the Nordic population registers

157 people named Thorson is counted in Sweden.

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

Counted, by country

Sweden (2022) 157

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).

In print

Thorson in American newspapers,
1910–1926.

Newspaper page from Evening Star carrying the name Thorson
Evening Star 1926-06-25
Newspaper page from The Black Hills Union And Western Stock Review carrying the name Thorson
The Black Hills Union And Western Stock Review 1910-05-13
Newspaper page from New-york Tribune carrying the name Thorson
New-york Tribune 1922-10-05

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 28,816 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Thorson in Australian newspapers,
1850s–1960s.

460 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Thorson. The most, 129, date from the 1940s. Queensland 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 Western Australia, at 1.9 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

Queensland 126
Victoria 125
New South Wales 95
Western Australia 82
South Australia 15
Tasmania 9
ACT (Canberra) 3
Northern Territory 2

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

Who carried it

People named Thorson,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Russell Thorson
    Russell Thorson 1906–1982 · actor
  • Harald Thorson 1841–1920
  • Julius Thorson 1868–1928 · politician
  • Herman Thorson 1880–1960 · politician
  • Joseph Thorarinn Thorson 1889–1978 · politician
  • Charles Thorson 1890–1966 · comics artist

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Thorson,
in the records of 3 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 States444 records

444 records of the Thorson name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 179
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 109
  • U.S. alien registration index, 1940–1955 57
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 57
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 26
  • New York State death index (outside NYC), 1957–2001 11
  • Ramsey County (Minnesota) Memorial Hall, war dead 2
  • U.S. service members who died in the Vietnam War 2
  • Irish Famine arrivals at New York, 1846–1851 1
  1. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Ernest Leroy Thorson

    Born 1950; from Minneapolis, Minnesota. U.S. Army, armor reconnaissance specialist; killed in action 1970 in Tay Ninh, South Vietnam. Buried at Fort Snelling National Cemetery, Minnesota.

    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 Clarence M. Thorson

    Born 1911 in Wisconsin. Enlisted 1943 at Milwaukee; farm hand. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1977, buried at Central Wisconsin Veterans Memorial Cemetery, King, Wisconsin.

    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 Anna Thorson

    Arrived at New York in 1880 aboard the Baltic from Liverpool and Queenstown, aged 28; servant. From Sweden.

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

Showing 3 of 444 records for Thorson in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · Ramsey County, Minnesota (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain). 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).

Australia23 records

23 records of the Thorson name in Australia
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 13
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 10
  1. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record William A. Thorson

    Gentleman of Broadbeach, Qld; died 1972.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Sigfried Thorson

    Arrived in Victoria in 1911 aboard the Zieten, aged 27.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Lils Siegfried Thorson

    Farmer of Wonga, Victoria; died 1953.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 23 records for Thorson in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Canada21 records

21 records of the Thorson name in Canada
  • City of Calgary cemetery records 8
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 4
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 4
  • City of Winnipeg cemetery records 3
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 2
  1. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record John Thorson

    Buried in 1970 at Queen's Park Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 86.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.
  2. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record B. Jarne Thorson

    Died 1915 in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  3. 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 Milo Nathaniel Thorson

    Died in service in 1945.

    Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada.

Showing 3 of 21 records for Thorson in Canada.

Counts: City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Canadian First World War circumstances-of-death register (scan by Scottgraham87 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Thorson.

When the index is not enough

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