Explore the Family Name Thorson

The meaning of Thorson

1. Americanized form of Swedish Thorsson: patronymic from the personal name Thor. Compare Torson. 2. Americanized form of Norwegian Thorsen, a cognate of 1 above. Some characteristic forenames: Scandinavian Thor, Erik, Monrad, Obert, Johan, Knute, Lars, Maren, Nels, Nordahl, Selmer.

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

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

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the popularity of the surname Thorson has seen slight changes between 2000 and 2010. In the year 2000, Thorson ranked 4847 in terms of popularity among all surnames, moving slightly to 5173 by 2010. This represents a decrease in popularity of approximately 6.73%. Despite this shift in rank, the actual count of individuals with the Thorson surname increased marginally from 6643 to 6752, showing a growth rate of 1.64%.

20002010Change
Rank#4,847#5,173-6.73%
Count6,6436,7521.64%
Proportion per 100k2.462.29-6.91%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Thorson

In terms of ethnic identity, noticeable changes were observed from 2000 to 2010 based on the Decennial U.S. Census. The majority of those with the Thorson surname identified as White, although there was a slight decrease from 96.78% to 95.50%. Interestingly, the percentage of Thorsons identifying as Hispanic saw significant growth, rising 79.09%, albeit from a smaller base, moving from 1.10% to 1.97%. While the proportion identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander also increased from 0.44% to 0.64%, the percentage identifying as American Indian and Alaskan Native declined from 0.35% to 0.24%. Lastly, there was a small increase in the number of individuals identifying as Black or of Two or more races.

20002010Change
White96.78%95.5%-1.32%
Hispanic1.1%1.97%79.09%
Two or More Races1.08%1.35%25%
Asian/Pacific Islander0.44%0.64%45.45%
Black0.26%0.31%19.23%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0.35%0.24%-31.43%

Thorson ancestry composition

23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname Thorson is Scandinavian, which comprises 35.9% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are British & Irish (27.4%) and French & German (20.1%). Additional ancestries include Spanish & Portuguese, Eastern European, Italian, Finnish, and Indigenous American.

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ANCESTRY BREAKDOWNCOMPOSITION
Scandinavian35.9%
British & Irish27.4%
French & German20.1%
Other16.6%
Thorson

Possible origins of the surname Thorson

Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.

Based on 23andMe data, people with last name Thorson have recent ancestry locations spanning a few countries, mostly in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and Ireland.

RECENT ANCESTRY LocationPercentage
Greater Manchester, United Kingdom69.80%
Greater London, United Kingdom69.80%
Merseyside, United Kingdom69.80%
West Yorkshire, United Kingdom68.70%
Glasgow City, United Kingdom68.70%

What Thorson haplogroups can tell you

Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.

The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname Thorson is I-L22, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup I-L22 is descended from haplogroup I-M170. Other common haplogroups include R-P312 and R-Z287, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Amundson, Wold, Johnsen, Simonson, Lundberg, Dahl, Lindquist, Clausen, Jacobsen, Woodcock.

The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Thorson surname are: H1, H, V. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.

thorsonPaternal Haplogroup Origins I-M170
Paternal Haplo Image

Your paternal lineage may be linked to many northern European men

If you have haplogroup I1a1b, your paternal line stems from a young branch of I-M253 called I-L22, which likely arose in the last 3,000 years. I-L22 is most common in Northern Europe, but a recent study found that this haplogroup was present in a significant portion of the Partecipanza population living in San Giovanni in Persiceto, Italy. The area of San Giovanni in Persiceto was involved in a migration period in 728 AD, when it became part of the Lombard kingdom, under King Aistulf. San Giovanni in Persiceto was only under Lombard rule for 48 years, after which the Lombards were defeated by King Charlemagne in 776 AD. There are several characteristics of San Giovanni in Persiceto that link it to other Lombard settlements. For instance, some research suggests San Giovanni in Persiceto was the seat of a Lombard Duke between 750 and 800 AD. It is possible that the Lombards who ruled over San Giovanni in Persiceto played an important role in the introduction and growth of haplogroup I-L22 in the region.

Your maternal lineage may be linked to Marie Antoinette

Because it is so dominant in the general European population, haplogroup H also appears quite frequently in the continent's royal houses. Marie Antoinette, an Austrian Hapsburg who married into the French royal family, inherited the haplogroup from her maternal ancestors. So did Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, whose recorded genealogy traces his female line to Bavaria. Scientists also discovered that famed 16th century astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus traced his maternal lineages to haplogroup H.

Maternal Haplo Image

What do people with the surname Thorson have in common?

Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.

Preferences

Thorson

Chocolate Ice Cream

Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.

"Thorson" Surname 41.6%

23andMe Users 41.3%

Traits

Thorson

Misophonia

When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.

"Thorson" Surname 26.3%

23andMe Users 27.9%

Habits

Thorson

Sugary Drink

Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.

"Thorson" Surname 17.5%

23andMe Users 21.1%

Wellness

Thorson

Migraine

A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.

"Thorson" Surname 18.5%

23andMe Users 16.4%

Are health conditions linked to the last name Thorson?

The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.

Disease variant frequency by ancestry

Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname Thorson are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition

Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Y402H variant

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the most common cause of irreversible vision loss among older adults. The disease results in damage to the central part of the retina (the macula), impairing vision needed for reading, driving, or even recognizing faces. The 23andMe Health + Ancestry DNA test includes the two most common variants associated with an increased risk of developing the condition: the Y402H variant in the CFH gene and the A69S variant in the ARMS2 gene. Learn more about Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Scandinavian 62.9%

23andMe Users 57.2%