The Thurber surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 4,232 people carried this name — #7,825 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 69,900 people counted. That is up 3% from 4,089 in 2000.

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In the first U.S. census, 1790

44 families named Thurber, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 247 people lived in those households, 5.6 to a family on average. The table counts it together with one other spelling. 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

Rhode Island 14
New York 8
New Hampshire 7
Vermont 7
Massachusetts 7
Connecticut 1

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

Thurber in American newspapers,
1910–1917.

Newspaper page from Las Vegas Age carrying the name Thurber
Las Vegas Age 1911-01-14
Newspaper page from The Madison Daily Leader carrying the name Thurber
The Madison Daily Leader 1910-02-10
Newspaper page from Maryland Independent carrying the name Thurber
Maryland Independent 1917-04-27

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 67,369 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Thurber in Australian newspapers,
1840s–1960s.

230 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Thurber. The most, 44, date from the 1930s. 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 67
Victoria 48
Queensland 35
South Australia 26
Western Australia 25
Tasmania 22
ACT (Canberra) 3

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

Who carried it

People named Thurber,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Charles Thurber d. 1882
  • John Thurber 1649–1717 · pirate
  • John Thurber 1735–
  • John Thurber 1774–1826
  • Sarah Ann Thurber 1802–1895
  • Jefferson G. Thurber 1807–1857 · politician

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

In the public record

People named Thurber,
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 States492 records

492 records of the Thurber name in the United States
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 137
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 133
  • New York State death index (outside NYC), 1957–2001 83
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 82
  • U.S. alien registration index, 1940–1955 33
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 24
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Ralph E. Thurber

    Born 1921 in Iowa. Enlisted 1944 at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas; auto mechanic from Douglas County, Nebraska. U.S. Army veteran; died 1992, buried at Westlawn-Hillcrest Cemetery, Omaha, Nebraska.

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

    Arrived at New York in 1889 aboard the La Champagne from Havre, aged 25; servant. From France.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)
  3. A U.S. Army record of death and interment, Camp Nelson, Kentucky, 1864
    Example: U.S. burial record, 1864
    Burial record Chesley Bert Thurber

    U.S. Navy veteran of World War I. Born 1896, died 1972; buried at Golden Gate National Cemetery, California.

    U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)

Showing 3 of 492 records for Thurber in the United States.

Counts: NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Record of death and interment, Camp Nelson, Kentucky, 1864, U.S. National Archives (public domain).

Canada354 records

354 records of the Thurber name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 345
  • City of Calgary cemetery records 3
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 3
  • Halifax municipal cemeteries 2
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 1
  1. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Hazel Elta Thurber

    Buried in 1960 at Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, Nova Scotia, aged 75.

    Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax.
  2. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Clara Mabel Thurber

    Died 1933 in Freeport, Digby, 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 Sidney Wilton Thurber

    Died in service in 1918.

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

Showing 3 of 354 records for Thurber 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. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax. · 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).

Australia6 records

6 records of the Thurber name in Australia Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Laura C. Thurber

    Sailed from Victoria in 1898 aboard the Still Water, bound for Newcastle, aged 20.

    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 Martin W. Thurber

    Sailed from Victoria in 1859 aboard the White Star, bound for Liverpool, aged 30.

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

    Arrived in Victoria in 1858 aboard the Expounder, aged 28; American.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 6 records for Thurber in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Thurber.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Thurber 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 Thurber volume
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