Explore the Family Name Thain
The meaning of Thain
Scottish (Aberdeenshire and Banffshire) and English (East Anglia): status name from Middle English and Older Scots thein, theyn ‘thane’ (Old English and Old Norse thegn), for a person of high social rank, a noble retainer, a warrior, or a senior government officer. Compare Knight. In Scotland in the later Middle Ages the term was used to denote someone who held land directly from the king. Sometimes also from the Old Norse personal name Thegn, derived from the same word.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Thain in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the popularity of the surname Thain has seen a slight decline between 2000 and 2010. Ranked at 39,946 in 2000, it dropped to a rank of 40,856 in 2010, a change of -2.28%. However, the actual count of individuals bearing the surname increased from 517 in 2000 to 534 in 2010, an increase of 3.29%. The proportion of individuals named Thain per 100,000 people also decreased by -5.26% over the same period.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #39,946 | #40,856 | -2.28% |
| Count | 517 | 534 | 3.29% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.19 | 0.18 | -5.26% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Thain
In terms of ethnicity, the data from the Decennial U.S. Census shows some shifts between 2000 and 2010. The percentage of those with the Thain surname identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander saw a significant increase of 137.56%, rising from 2.13% to 5.06%. As for those identifying as two or more races, there was a decrease from 3.09% to 1.12%. Individuals identifying as White remained the majority, although their percentage slightly decreased from 90.14% to 87.45%. The Hispanic representation went from nonexistent in 2000 to 2.62% in 2010. The percentage of Black individuals increased slightly from 2.51% to 2.81%, while American Indian and Alaskan Native representation appeared in 2010 at 0.94%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 90.14% | 87.45% | -2.98% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 2.13% | 5.06% | 137.56% |
| Black | 2.51% | 2.81% | 11.95% |
| Hispanic | 0% | 2.62% | 0% |
| Two or More Races | 3.09% | 1.12% | -63.75% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0% | 0.94% | 0% |