Origins of the Thornton surname

What does the name Thornton mean?

The Thornton surname is English. It is believed to be geographical, and refer to someone who lived on or near a place of the same name. There are an abundance of Thorntons across England, and at least three in Yorkshire alone, which may go some way to explain why the name is particularly prevalent in that area of the country.

Alternative variations of the name Thornton

Thornton, Thorntone, Thorndon, Tornton, Thornten

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Delve deeper into the Thornton family's history

OrkneyShetlandHighlandsWestern IslesGrampianTaysideCentralStrathclydeFifeLothianBordersDumfriesNorth East 1190North West 432Isle of Man 20Yorkshire 4936East Midlands 553West Midlands 480East 371London 3167South East 864South West 159South Wales 34Mid Wales 21West Wales 4North Wales 37Republic of IrelandNorthern Ireland

In 1921, most Thorntons lived in yorkshire

Census records trace your ancestors through each generation, so you can follow where your relatives lived through each decade.

29,000 Thornton Travel & migration records
140,000 Thorntons found in all Census records

Interesting facts about Thornton

How common is your surname?

241st most common surname in the UK

We have for the Thornton surname. The oldest one dates back to 1086.

Who were Thorntons most likely to marry?

Our tell us which families married Thorntons.

What are the most common Thornton first names?

John

William

Mary

Elizabeth

Our tell us the names of Thornton family members
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Census records provide incredible detail on names, ages, marital statuses, occupations and more.

Common jobs for Thorntons

Men and women often performed different types of jobs, so these are displayed by gender to maintain their historical accuracy.

Commmon female occupations for Thorntons in 1921

Dressmaker

569

Cotton Weaver

504

Domestic Servant

281

Living On Own Means

280

Worsted Weaver

252

Commmon male occupations for Thorntons in 1921

Coal Miner

660

General Labourer

411

Agricultural Labourer

397

Tailor

363

Farmer

318

We found over 150,000 family trees with the Thornton surname

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