2000
#10,730
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,730
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.01
Rare Last name
Thill
An occupational surname referring to someone who made or used a shaft or pole to pull a wagon.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,054 Americans carry the last name Thill. That puts it at #11,329 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.89 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 112,231 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Thill surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
3.1K
1 in 112,231
Census rank
#11,329
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,663 bearers of the surname Thill in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.89 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11329th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Thill, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.5%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Thill
The surname Thill has its origins in Germany, with the earliest records dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old German word "tili," which means "plank" or "board." This suggests that the name may have been initially adopted by someone who worked with wood or in a related trade.
One of the earliest documented instances of the name Thill can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Anhaltinus, a collection of historical documents from the region of Anhalt, which was part of the Holy Roman Empire. In this codex, a person named Henricus Thill is mentioned in a record from the year 1290.
The name Thill also appears in the Würzburger Bürgerbuch, a register of citizens in the city of Würzburg, Bavaria. This document, dating back to the 15th century, contains several entries with the surname Thill, indicating its presence in the region during that time period.
In the 16th century, a prominent figure named Johannes Thill was a scholar and humanist based in the city of Cologne. Born in 1508, he authored several works on theology and philosophy and was known for his involvement in the intellectual circles of the Renaissance era.
Another notable individual with the surname Thill was Philipp Thill, a German composer and organist who lived from 1699 to 1768. He was highly regarded for his contributions to church music and held prestigious positions as an organist in various cities, including Kassel and Münster.
In the 19th century, a German artist named Johann Wilhelm Thill gained recognition for his landscape paintings. Born in 1833 in the town of Niederlahnstein, he studied at the Düsseldorf Academy of Art and became known for his depictions of scenic views from the Rhine Valley region.
The name Thill has also been associated with various place names in Germany, such as Thillen, a village in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate, and Thillenbourg, a castle located in the same region. These place names may have contributed to the spread and variations of the surname over time.
While the surname Thill has its roots in Germany, it has also been found in other parts of Europe, such as France and Belgium, likely due to migration and cultural exchange throughout history. Overall, the name Thill reflects a rich heritage and a connection to various regions and professions, making it an intriguing subject for further exploration and research.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Thill
Among Census respondents with the surname Thill, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.5%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Thill bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Thill surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.3% · 2,406
- Hispanic or Latino4.5% · 121
- Two or more races3.0% · 79
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 23
- Black or African American0.7% · 19
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 15
Timeline
Historical Census data for Thill
Thill appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#10,505
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,055
+325 bearers (+11.9%)
Per 100,000 1.04
Rank movement Up 225 places
2020
#11,329
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,663
-392 bearers (-12.8%)
Per 100,000 0.89
Rank movement Down 824 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,730 | 2,730 | 1.01 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,505 | 3,055 | 1.04 | +325 bearers (+11.9%) | Up 225 places |
| 2020 | #11,329 | 2,663 | 0.89 | -392 bearers (-12.8%) | Down 824 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Thill surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #10,505 | #11,329 | -7.8% |
| Count | 3,055 | 2,663 | -12.8% |
| Per 100K | 1.04 | 0.89 | -14.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Thill bearers went from 3,055 to 2,663 (-12.8% change). The surname moved down 824 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,505 to #11,329.
FAQ
Thill surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Thill?
Name Census estimates that about 3,054 living Americans carry the surname Thill. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 112,231 residents.
How common is Thill?
Thill ranks #11,329 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.89 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,663 people with the surname Thill. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,054), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.89 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.89 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Thill.
Has Thill become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Thill went from 3,055 recorded bearers to 2,663. That is a decrease of 392 (-12.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,505 to #11,329.
What does the Census say about the background of Thill?
Among Census respondents with the surname Thill, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.5%) and Two or More Races (3.0%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Thill in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.3% (2,406 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Thill appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.3%), Hispanic (4.5%), Two or More Races (3.0%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Thill (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Thill mean?
An occupational surname referring to someone who made or used a shaft or pole to pull a wagon. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Thill (0.89 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people are called Thill?
If you just want to know how many people have the surname Thill, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.