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Thorpe Family History

Thorpe Surname Meaning

English (mainly Yorkshire and Lancashire): from Middle English thorp(e) ‘village hamlet farmstead’ (Old Norse Old English thorp ‘secondary settlement’).

The surname may be topographic for someone who lived in such a settlement or habitational for someone from any of several places called Thorp(e) which are most frequent in Yorkshire the Midlands and East Anglia.

Compare Throop.

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


Similar surnames: 

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Hint: Try searching for a relative alive in 1940.

Where is the Thorpe family from?

You can see how Thorpe families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Thorpe family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Thorpe families were found in United Kingdom in 1891. In 1891 there were 3,242 Thorpe families living in Yorkshire. This was about 25% of all the recorded Thorpe's in United Kingdom. Yorkshire had the highest population of Thorpe families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Thorpe 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 Thorpe 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 Thorpe. 9% of Thorpe men worked as a General Labourer and 66% of Thorpe women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties. Some less common occupations for Americans named Thorpe were Colliery Hewer and Incapacitated.

View Census Data for Thorpe | 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
    9%
  • Builders Labourer
    3%
  • Incapacitated
    3%
  • Colliery Hewer
    3%

Top Female Occupations In 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    66%
  • Unpaid Domestic
    2%
  • Housewife
    2%
  • Incapacitated
    2%

What Thorpe family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 328,000 census records available for the last name Thorpe. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Thorpe census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Thorpe

Passenger Lists

There are 29,000 immigration records available for the last name Thorpe. 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 Thorpe immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 30,000 military records available for the last name Thorpe. For the veterans among your Thorpe ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Thorpe military records

You've only scratched the surface of Thorpe family history

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What is the average Thorpe lifespan?

Between 1943 and 2004, in the United States, Thorpe life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1944, and highest in 2002. The average life expectancy for Thorpe in 1943 was 41, and 73 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Thorpe

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Thorpe 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.

Discover the unique achievements of ancestors in the Thorpe family tree

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