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Thorn Family History

Thorn Surname Meaning

English and Danish: topographic name for someone who lived by a thorn bush or hedge (Old English, Old Norse thorn, Middle English thorn(e), torn(e)). The name is also found in Sweden.

English: habitational name from a place called with Old English, Old Norse thorn ‘thorn bush’ (see 1 above), for example Thorne in Kent, Somerset, and South Yorkshire.

North German and Danish: topographic name for someone who lived near a tower from Middle Low German torn ‘tower’.

North German: nickname from Middle Low German torn(e), tarn ‘anger’.

German: habitational name from the city of Thorn (Toruń in Poland), which was named with Middle High German torn ‘tower’.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


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Hint: Try searching for a relative alive in 1940.

Where is the Thorn family from?

You can see how Thorn families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Thorn family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Thorn families were found in USA in 1880. In 1891 there were 824 Thorn families living in London. This was about 25% of all the recorded Thorn's in United Kingdom. London had the highest population of Thorn families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Thorn surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.
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What did your Thorn ancestors do for a living?

In 1939, General Labourer and Unpaid Domestic Duties were the top reported jobs for men and women in the United Kingdom named Thorn. 8% of Thorn men worked as a General Labourer and 70% of Thorn women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties. Some less common occupations for Americans named Thorn were Gardener and Incapacitated.

View Census Data for Thorn | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Top Male Occupations In 1939

  • General Labourer
    8%
  • Builders Labourer
    6%
  • Incapacitated
    4%
  • Gardener
    4%

Top Female Occupations In 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    70%
  • Unpaid Domestic
    3%
  • Housewife
    3%
  • Incapacitated
    3%

What Thorn family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 178,000 census records available for the last name Thorn. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Thorn census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Thorn

Passenger Lists

There are 13,000 immigration records available for the last name Thorn. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the UK, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Thorn immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 23,000 military records available for the last name Thorn. For the veterans among your Thorn ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Thorn military records

You've only scratched the surface of Thorn family history

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What is the average Thorn lifespan?

Between 1943 and 2004, in the United States, Thorn life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1943, and highest in 2001. The average life expectancy for Thorn in 1943 was 31, and 73 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Thorn

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Thorn ancestors lived in harsh conditions. A short lifespan might also indicate health problems that were once prevalent in your family. The SSDI is a searchable database of more than 70 million names. You can find birthdates, death dates, addresses and more.

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