Thorns Surname

336,335th
Most Common
surname in the World

Approximately 1,096 people bear this surname

Most prevalent in:
United States
Highest density in:
New Zealand

Thorns Surname Definition:

This surname is derived from a geographical locality. 'at the thorn' or thorns, i.e. thorn-bush, or clump of thorns. There is a parish of Thorne in the Diocese York, and Thornes in the Diocese Ripon.

William ad Spinam, Cambridgeshire, 1273.

Read More About This Surname

Thorns Surname Distribution Map

PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
United States5251:690,39854,758
England3381:164,84615,309
Germany1081:745,42156,003
New Zealand391:116,11114,715
South Africa291:1,868,19787,346
Canada161:2,302,849139,666
Israel121:713,13647,700
Australia81:3,374,463124,818
France21:33,211,361423,184
India21:383,532,6911,645,216
Vietnam21:46,323,0275,235
Scotland21:2,676,90851,579
Tanzania21:26,470,806111,653
Belgium11:11,496,644167,539
Ethiopia11:97,546,26229,669
Brazil11:214,074,3321,693,628
Cambodia11:15,487,14614,824
Switzerland11:8,212,915156,297
Romania11:20,077,87089,414
Philippines11:101,238,223404,861
Norway11:5,142,286129,201
Malta11:430,2723,380
Malaysia11:29,494,225409,885
Libya11:6,243,9746,186
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
England2931:83,1928,844
Scotland101:374,32210,959
Wales21:784,20816,349
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
United States641:784,66749,209

Thorns (18) may also be a first name.

Thorns Surname Meaning

From Where Does The Surname Originate? meaning and history

This surname is derived from a geographical locality. 'at the thorn' or thorns, i.e. thorn-bush, or clump of thorns. There is a parish of Thorne in the Diocese York, and Thornes in the Diocese Ripon.

William ad Spinam, Cambridgeshire, 1273. Hundred Rolls.

Hugh Thorne, Cambridgeshire, ibid.

John de Thorn, Devon, ibid.

Walter de la Thorne, Fines Roll, 11 Edward I.

Adam atte Thorne, Somerset, 1 Edward III: Kirby's Quest.

William de Thorn, Somerset, 1 Edward III: ibid.

Roger atte Thorn, Close Rolls, 3 Henry VI.

Robert atte Thornes, ibid., 25 Edward III.

1579. Philip Thorne and Elizabeth Hammond, widow: Marriage Lic. (London).

1746. Married — Thomas Thornes and Sarah Traelove: St. George's Chapel, Mayfair.

A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames (1896) by Charles Wareing Endell Bardsley

This surname is derived from the name of an ancestor. 'the son of Thomas,' from the nick. Thome or Tom, Thome being the earlier form; v. Thomson.

Robert fil. Thome, Lincolnshire, 1273. Hundred Rolls.

William Thome, Yorkshire, 20 Edward I: Placita de Quo Warranto, temp. Edward I-III.

Richard fil. Thome, Yorkshire, ibid.

Alicia relicta Thome, 1379: Poll Tax of Yorkshire.

Alicia uxor Thome, 1379: ibid.

Petrus Thome-son, 1379: ibid.

1698. Buried — John Tom, of Gaverigan: Reg. St. Columb Major.

The earliest instances of Tom (without the h) I can find are:

Johanna Tom-doutter, the daughter of Tom, 1379: Poll Tax of Yorkshire.

Johannes Tom-son, 1379: ibid.

1791. Married — Samuel Ford and Mary Thoms: St. George, Hanover Square.

A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames (1896) by Charles Wareing Endell Bardsley

Pl., and genit., oi Thorn, q.v.

Surnames of the United Kingdom (1912) by Henry Harrison

Parishes and places in cos. York, Somerset, and Northumberland. There are also many trivial localities so called, in many counties. In Anglo-Saxon charters, thorn-trees frequently occur as boundary-marks, which from the great longevity of the tree is quite natural; and the word enters into the composition of numerous place-names. In medieval writings the surname Thorn is latinized De Spineto, spinetum being equivalent to "a bushy place," or thicket of thorns and brambles, anglice a Spinney, whence that surname.

Patronymica Britannica (1860) by Mark Antony Lower

Local. A town in England; a tree or bush armed with spines or sharp shoots. "Will at the Thorn."

An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names (1857) by William Arthur

Thorns Last Name Facts

Where Does The Last Name Thorns Come From? nationality or country of origin

Thorns is borne by more people in The United States than any other country/territory. It can also appear as:. Click here for other potential spellings of this last name.

How Common Is The Last Name Thorns? popularity and diffusion

The surname Thorns is the 336,335th most widely held family name in the world, held by around 1 in 6,649,221 people. This surname occurs predominantly in The Americas, where 49 percent of Thorns reside; 49 percent reside in North America and 49 percent reside in Anglo-North America. It is also the 2,608,198th most prevalent given name throughout the world It is held by 18 people.

The last name Thorns is most commonly occurring in The United States, where it is borne by 525 people, or 1 in 690,398. In The United States it is mostly found in: Texas, where 18 percent are found, Michigan, where 16 percent are found and Illinois, where 10 percent are found. Outside of The United States Thorns occurs in 23 countries. It is also common in England, where 31 percent are found and Germany, where 10 percent are found.

Thorns Family Population Trend historical fluctuation

The frequency of Thorns has changed over time. In The United States the number of people who held the Thorns last name increased 820 percent between 1880 and 2014; in England it increased 115 percent between 1881 and 2014 and in Scotland it contracted 80 percent between 1881 and 2014.

Thorns Last Name Statistics demography

In The United States those bearing the Thorns last name are 6.23% more likely to be registered with the Democratic Party than The US average, with 59.46% registered to vote for the party.

The amount Thorns earn in different countries varies significantly. In South Africa they earn 0.78% less than the national average, earning R 235,788 per year; in United States they earn 11.8% less than the national average, earning $38,056 USD per year and in Canada they earn 35.59% less than the national average, earning $31,999 CAD per year.

Phonetically Similar Names

SurnameSimilarityWorldwide IncidencePrevalency
Thorens92450/
Thornæs9242/
Torns91242/
Thorrens86265/
Thoorens8687/
Thoreens861/
Torens8343/
Tornås8339/
Tourns837/
Torins836/
Torrns833/
Tornse831/
Tharns831/
Torrens7710,387/
Thorenz77325/
Therens77173/
Toorens7747/
Torrins7731/
Torréns777/
Tornsjø775/
Tehrens771/
Terns73204/
Tarns732/
Torrense7135/
Theerens7127/
Torreens711/
Torrenst711/
Tharyons711/
Terens67157/
Terins6737/
Torenz6730/
Tarens6715/
Tarnsh6714/
Tärnås6713/
Tarins676/
Tornch673/
Tornce672/
Thorrence672/
Torrenstt672/
Torems671/
Torrehens671/
Torims671/
Tarnns670/
Torrnz670/
Tarnst670/

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Thorns Reference & Research

Thorne/Thorn FamilyTree DNA Group - A group collating DNA test results for those who bear the surname, includes results of DNA tests and discussions.

Thorne/Thorn FamilyTree DNA Project - A description of a group researching the paternal lines of men who bear the surname with the help of DNA analysis.

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Footnotes

  • Surnames are taken as the first part of an person's inherited family name, caste, clan name or in some cases patronymic
  • Descriptions may contain details on the name's etymology, origin, ethnicity and history. They are largely reproduced from 3rd party sources; diligence is advised on accepting their validity - more information
  • Name distribution statistics are generated from a global database of over 4 billion people - more information
  • Heatmap: Dark red means there is a higher occurrence of the name, transitioning to light yellow signifies a progressively lower occurrence. Clicking on selected countries will show mapping at a regional level
  • Rank: Name are ranked by incidence using the ordinal ranking method; the name that occurs the most is assigned a rank of 1; name that occur less frequently receive an incremented rank; if two or more name occur the same number of times they are assigned the same rank and successive rank is incremented by the total preceeding names
  • Ethnic group cannot necessarily be determined by geographic occurrence
  • Similar: Names listed in the "Similar" section are phonetically similar and may not have any relation to Thorns
  • To find out more about this surname's family history, lookup records on Family​Search, My​Heritage, FindMyPast and Ancestry. Further information may be obtained by DNA analysis