Explore the Family Name Thaxter

The meaning of Thaxter

English (Norfolk and Cambridgeshire): occupational name from Middle English thakester(e), thaxter(e) ‘thatcher’ (Old English thæcestre). The word originally denoted a female thatcher, but came to be used by thatchers of both sexes. Compare Thacker.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Thaxter in the United States?

Based on data from the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname Thaxter has seen a rise in popularity over the past decade. In 2000, it ranked 74,164th in terms of commonality amongst surnames, but by 2010, it had risen to the 61,585th position. This represents a significant increase of almost 17 percent. The number of people carrying this surname also grew during this period, with the count rising from 243 individuals in 2000 to 326 in 2010, marking an impressive growth rate of 34.16 percent.

	2000	2010	Change
Rank	#74,164	#61,585	16.96%
Count	243	326	34.16%
Proportion per 100k	0.09	0.11	22.22%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Thaxter

The ethnicity associated with the Thaxter surname, as per the Decennial U.S. Census data, shows variation over time. Whites were the largest group in both years, though their share decreased by about 13 percent, falling from 71.60 percent in 2000 to 62.27 percent in 2010. Meanwhile, the Black representation within this surname saw a substantial jump, increasing by approximately 49 percent from 21.40 percent in 2000 to 31.90 percent in 2010. Those identifying as two or more races also increased by 21.28 percent. However, there was no representation from Hispanic, Asian/Pacific Islander, or American Indian and Alaskan Native backgrounds in either year.

	2000	2010	Change
White	71.6%	62.27%	-13.03%
Black	21.4%	31.9%	49.07%
Two or More Races	3.29%	3.99%	21.28%
Asian/Pacific Islander	2.47%	0%	0%
Hispanic	0%	0%	0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native	0%	0%	0%