NameCensus.

UK surname

Thorn

A topographic surname referring to someone who lived near a thorn bush or hedge.

In the 1881 census there were 4,463 people recorded with the Thorn surname, ranking it #1,004 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 3,445, ranked #1,981, down from #1,004 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, London parishes and St Pancras. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Boston, Southampton and Cornwall.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Thorn is 4,463 in 1881. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 22.8%.

1881 census count

4,463

Ranked #1,004

Modern count

3,445

2016, ranked #1,981

Peak year

1881

4,463 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Thorn had 4,463 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #1,004 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 3,445 in 2016, ranked #1,981.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 4,463 in 1881.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Ageing Communities.

Thorn surname distribution map

The map shows where the Thorn surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Thorn surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Thorn over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 3,690 #771
1861 historical 3,349 #854
1881 historical 4,463 #1,004
1891 historical 3,858 #1,240
1901 historical 4,069 #1,384
1911 historical 4,172 #1,243
1997 modern 3,665 #1,768
1998 modern 3,774 #1,784
1999 modern 3,799 #1,785
2000 modern 3,734 #1,803
2001 modern 3,629 #1,819
2002 modern 3,695 #1,832
2003 modern 3,539 #1,869
2004 modern 3,528 #1,874
2005 modern 3,392 #1,919
2006 modern 3,374 #1,930
2007 modern 3,393 #1,938
2008 modern 3,406 #1,948
2009 modern 3,468 #1,963
2010 modern 3,564 #1,950
2011 modern 3,527 #1,951
2012 modern 3,455 #1,953
2013 modern 3,546 #1,942
2014 modern 3,547 #1,947
2015 modern 3,493 #1,954
2016 modern 3,445 #1,981

Geography

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Where Thorns are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, London parishes, St Pancras and Southampton St Mary. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Boston, Southampton, Cornwall, Chichester and East Devon. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff Gloucestershire
2 London parishes London 1
3 London parishes London 3
4 St Pancras London (North Districts)
5 Southampton St Mary Hampshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Boston 004 Boston
2 Southampton 002 Southampton
3 Cornwall 001 Cornwall
4 Chichester 008 Chichester
5 East Devon 019 East Devon

Forenames

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First names often paired with Thorn

These lists show first names that appear often with the Thorn surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Thorn

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Thorn, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities

Group

Ageing Communities

Nationally, the Thorn surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Ageing Communities, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Thorn household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many residents are of normal retirement age or above and live in communal establishments, and there are few dependent children. The dominant property type is a mix of retirement flats and detached houses. Those in work are likely to be employed in managerial and professional occupations, and many residents are educated to degree level. Levels of owner occupation are high, but the private rental sector is also present. Rural locations predominate.

Wider pattern

Pervasive throughout the UK, members of this Supergroup typically own (or are buying) their detached, semi-detached or terraced homes. They are also typically educated to A Level/Highers or degree level and work in skilled or professional occupations. Typically born in the UK, some families have children, although the median adult age is above 45 and some property has become under-occupied after children have left home. This Supergroup is pervasive not only in suburban locations, but also in neighbourhoods at or beyond the edge of cities that adjoin rural parts of the country.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

London Fringe

Within London, Thorn is most associated with areas classed as London Fringe, part of Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Predominantly located in neighbourhoods on the outskirts of Greater London, residents of these neighbourhoods typically have their highest qualifications below degree (Level 4) level, with those still in work engaged in skilled trades and occupations in distribution, hotels and restaurants. There is low ethnic diversity in these neighbourhoods and high levels of Christian religious affiliation. Detached or terraced houses predominate, often with spare rooms.

Wider London pattern

The age distribution of these neighbourhoods is skewed towards the middle-aged and old, although few residents live alone or in communal establishments and numbers of dependent children are around average. Owner occupation is the norm, as is residence in detached or semi-detached houses. Residential densities are low and many households have spare rooms. Most residents were born in the UK and, aside from some identifying as members of Chinese or Indian ethnicities, identify as White. Mixed ethnicity households are rare. Incidence of married couples is higher than average and few individuals have never been married. A large proportion of individuals still in employment work in administrative and secretarial occupations, or in the construction industry. Few residents are students, and many households own more than one car.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Thorn is most concentrated in decile 5 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname near the middle of the scale.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

5
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Thorn falls in decile 9 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the less deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

9
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Thorn is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Thorn, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Thorn

The surname Thorn originated in England, with records dating back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Old English word "thorn," meaning a thorny bush or shrub. The name was likely given to someone who lived near or was associated with a particularly thorny area.

In medieval times, the Thorn family was concentrated in the counties of Yorkshire and Lincolnshire. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Hundred Rolls of Yorkshire from 1273, which mentions a William del Thorn.

The Thorn surname can also be traced back to place names like Thornton, which means "village with thorns." Many early bearers of the name likely adopted it from the towns or villages they were from, such as Thornton in Yorkshire or Thornton in Buckinghamshire.

The Domesday Book of 1086 contains a few possible references to the Thorn name, including a landowner named Torne in Gloucestershire and a place called Tornestone in Staffordshire.

Notable historical figures with the Thorn surname include William Thorn (c. 1397-1459), a Benedictine monk and chronicler from Canterbury, and John Thorn (c. 1520-1573), a Catholic martyr who was executed during the Reformation.

In the 16th century, a prominent Thorn family lived in Shelvock, Shropshire. One member, Roger Thorn (1521-1594), was a wealthy landowner and served as Sheriff of Shropshire in 1574.

Another notable figure was Robert Thorn (1701-1781), an English clergyman and author who wrote several religious works, including "A Commentary on the Book of Job."

During the 18th century, the Thorn family had a strong presence in Yorkshire, particularly around the town of Wakefield. One member, Joseph Thorn (1723-1793), was a successful merchant and landowner in the area.

In more recent history, the writer and journalist Gail Thorne (1939-2011) became known for her books on parenting and family life, while Larry Thorn (1945-2018) was a professional basketball player who played in the NBA for the Seattle SuperSonics and Chicago Bulls.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Thorn families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Thorn surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Middlesex leads with 827 Thorns recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.89x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 827 1.89x
Surrey 422 1.98x
Devon 397 4.37x
Hampshire 309 3.45x
Gloucestershire 272 3.18x
Somerset 263 3.74x
Buckinghamshire 156 5.91x
Essex 152 1.76x
Kent 148 0.99x
Berkshire 120 3.66x
Wiltshire 119 3.08x
Hertfordshire 104 3.46x
Lancashire 101 0.20x
Bedfordshire 92 4.07x
Dorset 87 3.04x
Warwickshire 76 0.69x
Glamorgan 73 0.96x
Lanarkshire 60 0.43x
Monmouthshire 58 1.84x
Norfolk 56 0.83x
Durham 55 0.42x
Yorkshire 51 0.12x
Cornwall 43 0.87x
Northumberland 40 0.62x
Sussex 35 0.48x
Leicestershire 33 0.68x
Cambridgeshire 30 1.09x
Channel Islands 29 2.24x
Derbyshire 21 0.31x
Staffordshire 20 0.14x
Worcestershire 20 0.35x
Herefordshire 18 1.01x
Lincolnshire 18 0.26x
Shropshire 18 0.48x
Cheshire 17 0.18x
Northamptonshire 17 0.41x
Oxfordshire 17 0.63x
Midlothian 10 0.17x
Royal Navy 9 1.73x
Aberdeenshire 8 0.20x
Angus 7 0.17x
Ayrshire 6 0.18x
Nottinghamshire 6 0.10x
Rutland 6 1.87x
Wigtownshire 6 1.04x
Denbighshire 5 0.30x
Suffolk 5 0.09x
Clackmannanshire 4 1.11x
Cumberland 4 0.11x
Dunbartonshire 4 0.34x
Flintshire 3 0.26x
Inverness-shire 2 0.15x
Roxburghshire 2 0.25x
West Lothian 2 0.30x
Argyllshire 1 0.08x
Caithness 1 0.17x
Carmarthenshire 1 0.05x
Dumfriesshire 1 0.10x
Fife 1 0.04x
Huntingdonshire 1 0.12x
Isle of Man 1 0.12x
Montgomeryshire 1 0.10x
Orkney 1 0.21x
Renfrewshire 1 0.03x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Camberwell in Surrey leads with 70 Thorns recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.51x.

Place Total Index
Camberwell 70 2.51x
Islington London 68 1.61x
Hackney London 67 2.74x
St Marylebone London 62 2.66x
Kensington London 59 2.43x
Southampton St Mary 55 9.78x
Chelsea London 53 4.03x
Lambeth 53 1.39x
Shoreditch London 51 2.70x
West Ham 49 2.58x
St Pancras London 46 1.31x
Thornbury 42 71.76x
Bermondsey 41 3.15x
Bristol St Philip Jacob 39 4.84x
Croydon 37 3.13x
Battersea 36 2.24x
Portsea 36 2.05x
Mile End Old Town 34 4.93x
Paddington London 32 1.99x
South Stoneham 32 16.49x
Bedminster 31 4.69x
Bethnal Green London 31 1.63x
Birmingham 29 0.79x
Willesden 29 7.05x
Whitechapel London 27 6.27x
Aston 26 0.86x
St Luke London 26 3.71x
Chagford 25 114.89x
Cranborne 25 72.17x
Plymouth Charles The 25 6.25x
Southwark St George Martyr 25 2.85x
Clifton 24 5.54x
Hemel Hempstead 23 16.96x
Kingston On Thames 23 4.50x
Lewisham 23 2.90x
St George Hanover 23 4.04x
Aldbury 22 161.41x
Chepstow 22 40.95x
Eaton Bray 22 96.41x
St Peter Port 22 9.19x
Chesham 21 21.59x
Hendon 21 13.37x
Newbury 21 20.01x
Stratton 20 74.60x
Fulham London 19 3.00x
Leicester St Margaret 19 1.61x
Buckland 18 139.43x
Deptford St Paul 18 1.57x
Great Barford 18 152.93x
Reading St Mary 18 6.86x
Stoke Damerel 18 2.83x
Greenwich 17 2.45x
Highworth 17 34.44x
Plymouth St Andrew 17 2.43x
Tynemouth 17 4.89x
Clerkenwell London 16 1.55x
Queen Camel 16 194.41x
Shepton Mallet 16 20.29x
Streatham 16 4.94x
Studham 16 128.72x
Upton Cum Chalvey 16 15.21x
Bromley London 15 1.56x
Govan 15 0.43x
Barony 14 0.39x
Buckfastleigh 14 33.39x
Great Dunmow 14 31.18x
Lydney 14 31.67x
North Stoneham 14 68.90x
Roath 14 4.06x
Tonbridge 14 2.61x
Walthamstow 14 4.51x
Weston Super Mare 14 7.89x
Ystradyfodwg 14 2.10x
Charlton Horethorne 13 181.56x
Edmonton 13 3.70x
Hawridge 13 359.12x
New Windsor 13 11.80x
Newington 13 0.81x
Taunton St James 13 12.69x
Wellington 13 13.65x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Thorn surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Mary 250
Elizabeth 189
Sarah 132
Eliza 99
Ellen 77
Ann 75
Emma 70
Annie 68
Jane 67
Emily 60
Alice 58
Louisa 47
Harriet 35
Hannah 34
Maria 34
Kate 32
Edith 30
Florence 30
Fanny 28
Charlotte 27
Clara 26
Susan 25
Caroline 24
Harriett 24
Ada 22
Lucy 22
Martha 21
Rose 21
Anne 20
Catherine 20
Agnes 15
Amelia 14
Bessie 14
Margaret 14
Sophia 14
Minnie 13
Gertrude 12
Isabella 12
Jessie 12
Henrietta 11
Frances 10
Rebecca 10
Amy 9
Anna 9
Elizth. 9
Julia 9
Eleanor 8
Matilda 8
Helen 7
Grace 6

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Thorn surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
William 291
John 218
George 165
Thomas 134
James 130
Henry 127
Charles 100
Joseph 63
Alfred 52
Frederick 51
Richard 51
Samuel 40
Albert 38
Arthur 38
Walter 36
Robert 35
Edward 33
Harry 28
Edwin 24
Frank 21
Ernest 20
David 16
Francis 14
Wm. 14
Herbert 13
Fredrick 12
Alexander 10
Benjamin 9
Edmund 9
Jesse 9
Oliver 9
Fred 8
Mark 8
Peter 8
Thos. 8
Job 7
Tom 7
Daniel 6
Sidney 6
Edgar 5
Geo. 5
Percy 5
Chas. 4
Isaac 4
Louis 4
Sydney 4
Horace 3
Jabez 3
Jessie 3
Stephen 3

Top occupations

Occupational titles are kept as recorded and later transcribed, so related jobs, spelling variants and mistakes stay separate. Scholar was the census term for a child in education. That means the other rows often tell you more about adult work in Thorn households.

FAQ

Thorn surname: questions and answers

How common was the Thorn surname in 1881?

In 1881, 4,463 people were recorded with the Thorn surname. That placed it at #1,004 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Thorn surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 3,445 in 2016. That gives Thorn a modern rank of #1,981.

What does the Thorn surname mean?

A topographic surname referring to someone who lived near a thorn bush or hedge.

What does the Thorn map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Thorn bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.