Thornton
Thornton was given to 10 boys in 2025, #8,186 among boys’ names; 3,132 Americans have been recorded with it since 1880 (Social Security Administration, published May 2026).
An estimated 1,130 Americans named Thornton and born in the U.S. are alive in 2026 (36% of everyone recorded); the median is 57 years old and half are between 32 and 73.
Girls and boys together; gaps are years SSA did not record (fewer than 5 births).
Births of Thornton by year: SSA national baby-name file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
What does Thornton mean?
Wiktionary, English section
Thornton is “a male given name transferred from the surname.” Its etymology gives the senses “thorn” (þorn) and “settlement” (tūn).
From Old English þorn (“thorn”) + tūn (“settlement”).
/ˈθɔː(ɹ)ntən/
Meaning: Wiktionary, English section, as of Sep 25, 2026 (CC BY‑SA 4.0).
How popular is Thornton?
#8,186 among boys’ names, 2025
Thornton rose from #8,668 in 2015 to #8,186 in 2025 among boys’ names; its share of boys born rose from 4.7 to 5.9 per million.
75 babies in 1921, the peak
Thornton peaked in 1921, when 75 boys were given it, #778 among boys’ names. The 10 births of 2025 are 13% of that peak.
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 boys |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 10 | #8,186 | 0.01 |
| 2024 | 6 | #12,200 | under 0.01 |
| 2023 | 5 | #13,979 | under 0.01 |
| 2021 | 6 | #11,983 | under 0.01 |
| 2020 | 8 | #9,469 | under 0.01 |
| 2019 | 8 | #9,647 | under 0.01 |
| 2018 | 11 | #7,560 | 0.01 |
| 2017 | 13 | #6,623 | 0.01 |
| 2016 | 10 | #8,085 | 0.01 |
| 2015 | 9 | #8,668 | under 0.01 |
Every recorded year (141)
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 boys |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 11 | #7,504 | 0.01 |
| 2013 | 10 | #8,042 | 0.01 |
| 2012 | 8 | #9,608 | under 0.01 |
| 2011 | 9 | #8,680 | under 0.01 |
| 2009 | 12 | #7,185 | 0.01 |
| 2008 | 7 | #10,919 | under 0.01 |
| 2006 | 12 | #6,863 | 0.01 |
| 2005 | 9 | #8,228 | under 0.01 |
| 2004 | 10 | #7,466 | 0.01 |
| 2003 | 11 | #6,670 | 0.01 |
| 2002 | 6 | #10,526 | under 0.01 |
| 2001 | 8 | #8,242 | under 0.01 |
| 2000 | 12 | #5,870 | 0.01 |
| 1999 | 10 | #6,471 | 0.01 |
| 1998 | 14 | #4,844 | 0.01 |
| 1997 | 14 | #4,642 | 0.01 |
| 1996 | 16 | #4,166 | 0.01 |
| 1995 | 14 | #4,481 | 0.01 |
| 1994 | 12 | #5,080 | 0.01 |
| 1993 | 14 | #4,422 | 0.01 |
| 1992 | 16 | #3,898 | 0.01 |
| 1991 | 7 | #7,194 | under 0.01 |
| 1990 | 16 | #3,753 | 0.01 |
| 1989 | 12 | #4,495 | 0.01 |
| 1988 | 9 | #5,169 | under 0.01 |
| 1987 | 16 | #3,182 | 0.01 |
| 1986 | 9 | #4,810 | under 0.01 |
| 1985 | 8 | #5,099 | under 0.01 |
| 1984 | 9 | #4,518 | under 0.01 |
| 1983 | 11 | #3,852 | 0.01 |
| 1981 | 9 | #4,463 | 0.01 |
| 1980 | 18 | #2,720 | 0.01 |
| 1979 | 12 | #3,549 | 0.01 |
| 1978 | 9 | #4,129 | 0.01 |
| 1977 | 11 | #3,583 | 0.01 |
| 1976 | 13 | #3,080 | 0.01 |
| 1975 | 20 | #2,280 | 0.01 |
| 1974 | 14 | #2,786 | 0.01 |
| 1973 | 17 | #2,393 | 0.01 |
| 1972 | 13 | #2,807 | 0.01 |
| 1971 | 15 | #2,544 | 0.01 |
| 1970 | 12 | #2,878 | 0.01 |
| 1969 | 26 | #1,636 | 0.01 |
| 1968 | 18 | #1,955 | 0.01 |
| 1967 | 20 | #1,804 | 0.01 |
| 1966 | 19 | #1,805 | 0.01 |
| 1965 | 11 | #2,601 | 0.01 |
| 1964 | 28 | #1,506 | 0.01 |
| 1963 | 18 | #1,953 | 0.01 |
| 1962 | 28 | #1,512 | 0.01 |
| 1961 | 22 | #1,770 | 0.01 |
| 1960 | 17 | #2,029 | 0.01 |
| 1959 | 22 | #1,756 | 0.01 |
| 1958 | 24 | #1,635 | 0.01 |
| 1957 | 30 | #1,450 | 0.01 |
| 1956 | 30 | #1,439 | 0.01 |
| 1955 | 22 | #1,676 | 0.01 |
| 1954 | 31 | #1,378 | 0.02 |
| 1953 | 38 | #1,229 | 0.02 |
| 1952 | 36 | #1,240 | 0.02 |
| 1951 | 37 | #1,216 | 0.02 |
| 1950 | 39 | #1,165 | 0.02 |
| 1949 | 32 | #1,294 | 0.02 |
| 1948 | 35 | #1,228 | 0.02 |
| 1947 | 44 | #1,106 | 0.02 |
| 1946 | 37 | #1,154 | 0.02 |
| 1945 | 33 | #1,160 | 0.02 |
| 1944 | 33 | #1,170 | 0.02 |
| 1943 | 46 | #994 | 0.03 |
| 1942 | 44 | #1,023 | 0.03 |
| 1941 | 32 | #1,185 | 0.03 |
| 1940 | 34 | #1,154 | 0.03 |
| 1939 | 37 | #1,069 | 0.03 |
| 1938 | 37 | #1,075 | 0.03 |
| 1937 | 33 | #1,166 | 0.03 |
| 1936 | 27 | #1,292 | 0.03 |
| 1935 | 37 | #1,075 | 0.04 |
| 1934 | 27 | #1,320 | 0.03 |
| 1933 | 27 | #1,306 | 0.03 |
| 1932 | 46 | #978 | 0.04 |
| 1931 | 34 | #1,192 | 0.03 |
| 1930 | 47 | #1,005 | 0.04 |
| 1929 | 29 | #1,336 | 0.03 |
| 1928 | 50 | #976 | 0.05 |
| 1927 | 41 | #1,127 | 0.04 |
| 1926 | 46 | #1,031 | 0.04 |
| 1925 | 50 | #971 | 0.04 |
| 1924 | 67 | #834 | 0.06 |
| 1923 | 54 | #937 | 0.05 |
| 1922 | 71 | #799 | 0.07 |
| 1921 | 75 | #778 | 0.07 |
| 1920 | 68 | #815 | 0.06 |
| 1919 | 55 | #906 | 0.06 |
| 1918 | 51 | #940 | 0.05 |
| 1917 | 54 | #873 | 0.06 |
| 1916 | 58 | #819 | 0.07 |
| 1915 | 64 | #755 | 0.08 |
| 1914 | 43 | #815 | 0.07 |
| 1913 | 43 | #707 | 0.08 |
| 1912 | 31 | #797 | 0.07 |
| 1911 | 19 | #755 | 0.08 |
| 1910 | 20 | #674 | 0.10 |
| 1909 | 15 | #750 | 0.09 |
| 1908 | 11 | #871 | 0.07 |
| 1907 | 7 | #1,190 | 0.05 |
| 1906 | 17 | #586 | 0.13 |
| 1905 | 7 | #1,081 | 0.05 |
| 1904 | 10 | #806 | 0.08 |
| 1903 | 10 | #776 | 0.08 |
| 1902 | 8 | #919 | 0.07 |
| 1901 | 9 | #775 | 0.08 |
| 1900 | 11 | #830 | 0.07 |
| 1899 | 17 | #478 | 0.16 |
| 1898 | 9 | #796 | 0.07 |
| 1897 | 6 | #1,049 | 0.05 |
| 1896 | 8 | #889 | 0.07 |
| 1895 | 12 | #637 | 0.10 |
| 1894 | 11 | #664 | 0.10 |
| 1893 | 12 | #609 | 0.11 |
| 1892 | 11 | #683 | 0.09 |
| 1890 | 6 | #987 | 0.05 |
| 1889 | 17 | #462 | 0.15 |
| 1888 | 19 | #440 | 0.16 |
| 1887 | 10 | #628 | 0.10 |
| 1886 | 17 | #448 | 0.15 |
| 1885 | 5 | #1,087 | 0.05 |
| 1884 | 7 | #840 | 0.06 |
| 1883 | 13 | #522 | 0.12 |
| 1882 | 17 | #447 | 0.15 |
| 1881 | 10 | #588 | 0.10 |
| 1880 | 12 | #562 | 0.11 |
Ranks and shares: boys’ names in each year’s SSA file; share of all boys SSA recorded that year.
Is Thornton a boy’s or a girl’s name?
Thornton has been recorded only for boys: SSA lists no girls with the name in 141 years of records (it lists a name only in years with 5 or more babies of a sex).
Girls and boys named Thornton: the SSA national file counts each sex separately.
How many people are named Thornton, and how old are they?
1,130 alive in 2026, estimated
That is 36% of the 3,132 Americans ever recorded as Thornton. The median Thornton alive today is 57 years old; half are between 32 and 73.
The 2020 Census counted 1,211 people named Thornton (41 women and girls, 1,170 men and boys). SSA’s births carried forward to Census day, April 1, 2020, predict 1,269 born in the U.S. The Census count is 5% below that prediction.
Alive today, by age
Alive today, by generation
| Generation | Born | Alive |
|---|---|---|
| Silent Generation | 1928-1945 | 125 |
| Baby Boomers | 1946-1964 | 365 |
| Generation X | 1965-1980 | 218 |
| Millennials | 1981-1996 | 170 |
| Generation Z | 1997-2012 | 139 |
| Generation Alpha | 2013-2025 | 106 |
An estimate, not a count. SSA’s files count people born in the United States who received a Social Security number, so anyone born abroad is not in them; before 1937 most people got a number as adults, and their survival is counted from that age.
Living estimate: SSA births carried forward with the survival rates in SSA’s cohort life tables (2024 Trustees Report) for each birth year and sex. How the estimate is made. Count: Census Bureau, first names in the 2020 Census (released April 14, 2026; names reported 100 or more times, with the Bureau’s disclosure-avoidance adjustment).
Where are babies named Thornton born?
The states with the most babies named Thornton are Virginia, Texas and New York, with 57% of its births recorded by state since 1910; Virginia is not among the ten states with the most births.
| State | Since 1910 | Rank, boys | vs. national |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virginia | 124 | not ranked | 1.9× |
| Texas | 45 | not ranked | 0.3× |
| New York | 27 | not ranked | 0.1× |
| Alabama | 25 | not ranked | 0.4× |
| Illinois | 20 | not ranked | 0.1× |
| Kentucky | 20 | not ranked | 0.3× |
| Maryland | 16 | not ranked | 0.4× |
| Ohio | 11 | not ranked | 0.1× |
| Pennsylvania | 11 | not ranked | 0.1× |
| California | 10 | not ranked | 0.1× |
Where Thornton is more common than its national share predicts
Relative to its national share, Thornton is most over-represented in Virginia: since 1910 it was given 1.9 times as often there as its national share each year would predict.
States: SSA state file, 1910-2025, published May 8, 2026; births count girls and boys together, and the rank is among boys’ names in the state in 2025. The file leaves out any state and year with fewer than 5 babies of the name, so small states are undercounted; each ratio compares the state’s births of Thornton with the births its national share predicts year by year, for states with at least 100 births of the name.
Names that rose and fell in the same decades as Thornton
Names whose births rose and fell across the same decades, measured on each decade’s share of births.
Similar histories: each decade’s share of births, from the SSA national file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
More about Thornton and names like it
- Compare Thornton and RoscoeBirths, ranks, peak and the living estimate side by side.
- The most given names of the 1920sThornton peaked in 1921.
- Virginia’s most given namesThe state where SSA recorded the most babies named Thornton since 1910.
- From surnamesWiktionary’s origin for Thornton: every such name, by how often it is given.
- The top names of 1921The year the most babies were named Thornton.
- The names of the Baby BoomersMost people named Thornton alive today were born 1946-1964.
- Names starting with TMost given first.