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Show ContentsThorne History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
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Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

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In ancient Anglo-Saxon England, the ancestors of the Thorne surname lived near a thorn bush or hedge. Thorne is a local surname, which belongs to the category of hereditary surnames. Other types of local surnames include topographic surnames, which could be given to a person who lived beside any physical feature, such as a hill, stream, church or type of tree. Habitation names form the other broad category of surnames that were derived from place-names. They were derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads. Other local names are derived from the names of houses, manors, estates, regions, and entire counties. The surname Thorne comes from the Old English or Old Norse words which mean thorn. The surname Thorne may also be a habitational surname, for someone who came from a place named with this word, for example Thorne, in Somerset, or Thorns, in Suffolk. The Thorne family's origins date back to the period prior to the Norman Conquest of 1066, to the county of Somerset, where they resided at Thorne-Falcon and Thorne-St. Nargaret.

Early Origins of the Thorne family

The surname Thorne was first found in Somerset at Thorn(e) St. Margaret, a parish, in the union of Wellington, hundred of Milverton, about 3½ miles (W.) from Wellington. 1 The place name dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086 when it was first listed as Torne. 2

Some of the first records of the name include: Adam atte Thorne; and William de Thorn who were both listed in Kirby's Quest at the time of Edward III. 3 4 The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 lists the following: Hugh Thorne in Cambridgeshire; and John de Thorn in Devon. 4

"At Thorne, [Devon] a family of that name were seated from the reign of King John till the early part of the seventeenth century. " 5

To confuse matters, another noted historian claims "the name is local, from Thornes in the parish of Shenstone, in the county of Stafford, where Robert, son of Roger de la Thorne, was resident early in the fourteenth century." 6 The integrity of this researcher bears no doubt.

However, we wish to have the reader note that this entry is significantly later that the previous entries and as such, in our opinion, is a later branch of the family. Great Thorness is a hamlet on the Isle of Wight, off the south coast of England.

Early History of the Thorne family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Thorne research. Another 136 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1206, 1272, 1275, 1296, 1397, 1527, 1568, 1573, 1610 and 1630 are included under the topic Early Thorne History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Thorne Spelling Variations

It is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, early Anglo-Saxon surnames like Thorne are characterized by many spelling variations. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages, even literate people changed the spelling of their names. The variations of the name Thorne include: Thorn, Thorne and others.

Early Notables of the Thorne family

Notables of the family at this time include

  • John Thorne, Abbott of Reading, who was personally starved by King Henry VIII
  • William Thorne (fl. 1397), was an English historian, a monk of St. Augustine's, Canterbury and Robert Thorne (d. 1527), was an English merchant and geographical writer, the son of Nicholas Thorne
  • Another John Thorne (d. 1573), was an English musician and poet, was probably connected with York Minster, perhaps as teacher of the choristers. He is called 'Thorne of York' in a contemporary manuscr...
  • William Thorne (1568?-1630), was an English orientalist, born at Semley, Wiltshire. 7

Thorne World Ranking

In the United States, the name Thorne is the 1,721st most popular surname with an estimated 17,409 people with that name. 8 However, in Canada, the name Thorne is ranked the 932nd most popular surname with an estimated 5,827 people with that name. 9 And in Newfoundland, Canada, the name Thorne is the 89th popular surname with an estimated 338 people with that name. 10 Australia ranks Thorne as 917th with 4,295 people. 11 New Zealand ranks Thorne as 829th with 879 people. 12 The United Kingdom ranks Thorne as 566th with 11,456 people. 13

Ireland Migration of the Thorne family to Ireland

Some of the Thorne family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

United States Thorne migration to the United States +

Many English families tired of political and religious strife left Britain for the new colonies in North America. Although the trip itself offered no relief - conditions on the ships were extremely cramped, and many travelers arrived diseased, starving, and destitute - these immigrants believed the opportunities that awaited them were worth the risks. Once in the colonies, many of the families did indeed prosper and, in turn, made significant contributions to the culture and economies of the growing colonies. An inquiry into the early roots of North American families has revealed a number of immigrants bearing the name Thorne or a variant listed above:

Thorne Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Henry Thorne, aged 18, who settled in Virginia in 1622 aboard the ship "James" 14
  • Peter Thorne, aged 20, who arrived in New England aboard the ship "Elizabeth" in 1635 14
  • Thomas Thorne, who settled in Virginia in 1635
  • Mr. Thomas Thorne, (b. 1622), aged 13, British settler traveling aboard the ship "Safety" arriving in Virginia in 1635 15
  • William Thorne, who landed in Massachusetts in 1638 14
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Thorne Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Eliza Thorne, who landed in Virginia in 1701 14
  • Katherine Thorne, who landed in Virginia in 1704 14
  • Philip Thorne, who landed in Virginia in 1713 14
  • Margaret Thorne, who arrived in New England in 1718 14
Thorne Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • James Thorne, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1850 14
  • C R Thorne, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1851 14
  • Ford Thorne, who arrived in Arkansas in 1878 14

Canada Thorne migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Thorne Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • William Thorne, who settled in St. John's Newfoundland in 1762 16
  • Mr. Joseph Thorne U.E. born in New Jersey, USA who settled in Bell Vue, Beaver Harbor, Charlotte County, New Brunswick c. 1783 17
  • Mrs. Martha Thorne U.E. who settled in New Brunswick c. 1784 17
  • Mr. Robert Thorne U.E. born in Dutchess County, New York, USA who settled in Gagetown, Queens County, New Brunswick c. 1784 17
  • Mr. Stephen Thorne U.E. who settled in Canada c. 1784 17
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Thorne Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • Jane Thorne, aged 28, a servant, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1833 aboard the ship "Branches" from London, England
  • Sarah Thorne, aged 24, a servant, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1833 aboard the ship "Branches" from London, England
  • Miss. Isabella Thorne who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec aboard the ship "Sir Robert Peel" departing from the port of Liverpool, England but died on Grosse Isle in 1847 18

Australia Thorne migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Thorne Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Francis Thorne, English convict from Nottingham, who was transported aboard the "Asia" on April 1st, 1822, settling in New South Wales, Australia 19
  • Mr. Charles Thorne, English convict who was convicted in Middlesex, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "Florentia" on 14th August 1827, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 20
  • Mr. Adam Thorne, (b. 1811), aged 20, English farm labourer who was convicted in Dorset, England for 7 years for machine breaking, transported aboard the "Eleanor" on 26th June 1831, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 21
  • Mr. James Thorne, (b. 1809), aged 22, English farm labourer who was convicted in Dorset, England for 7 years for machine breaking, transported aboard the "Eleanor" on 26th June 1831, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 21
  • John Frank Thorne a seaman, who arrived in Kangaroo Island aboard the ship "Rapid" in 1836 22
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

New Zealand Thorne migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Thorne Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • William Thorne, who landed in Auckland, New Zealand in 1840
  • Mr. Edward Thorne, British settler travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Kingston" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 29th December 1858 23
  • Miss Thorne, British settler travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Kingston" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 29th December 1858 23
  • James Thorne, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Nimroud" in 1860
  • Mr. Ludwic Thorne, (b. 1831), aged 30, British farm labourer travelling from Bristol aboard the ship "Matoaka" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 10th February 1862 23
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

West Indies Thorne migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 24
Thorne Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century
  • Mr. Arthur Thorne, (b. 1602), aged 33, British settler travelling aboard the ship "The Dorset" arriving in Barbados in September 1635 25

Contemporary Notables of the name Thorne (post 1700) +

  • Frank Thorne (1930-2021), American comic book artist-writer, best known for the Marvel Comics character Red Sonja
  • William Harry Thorne (1902-1966), American Democratic Party politician, Member of Michigan State House of Representatives, 1959-66 (Wayne County 19th District 1959-64, 32nd District 1965-66) 26
  • W. E. Thorne, American politician, Member of Nebraska State Senate, 1907 26
  • T. T. Thorne (b. 1867), American Democratic Party politician, Member of North Carolina State Senate, 1907-08, 1911-14 (7th District 1907-08, 1911-12, 6th District 1913-14) 26
  • Shelton A. Thorne, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Florida, 1972; Presidential Elector for Florida, 1972 26
  • Richard V. W. Thorne, American politician, Member of New York State Assembly from Kings County, 1837 26
  • Samuel M. Thorne, American politician, Member of New Jersey State House of Assembly from Camden County, 1858-59 26
  • Richard Thorne, American politician, Member of New York State Assembly from Queens County, 1786-87 26
  • Ralph W. Thorne, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Pennsylvania, 1936 (alternate), 1940 26
  • Oakleigh Thorne Sr., American Republican politician, Presidential Elector for New York, 1952; Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from New York, 1956 26
  • ... (Another 32 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
HMS Dorsetshire
  • Herbert Vincent Thorne (d. 1945), British Steward aboard the HMS Dorsetshire when she was struck by air bombers and sunk; he died in the sinking 27
  • Charles Wallace Thorne, British Sick Berth Assistant aboard the HMS Dorsetshire (1945) when she was struck by air bombers and sunk; he survived the sinking 27
HMS Repulse
  • Mr. Francis Thorne, British Able Bodied Seaman, who sailed into battle on the HMS Repulse (1941) and survived the sinking 28
HMS Royal Oak
  • Leonard Frank Thorne (1922-1939), British Boy 1st Class with the Royal Navy aboard the HMS Royal Oak (1939) when she was torpedoed by U-47 and sunk; he died in the sinking 29
RMS Titanic
  • Mr. Harry Johnson Thorne (d. 1912), aged 25, English Assistant Ship's Cook from Southampton, Hampshire who worked aboard the RMS Titanic and died in the sinking 30
  • Miss Gertrude Maybelle Thorne, aged 38, American First Class passenger from New York City, New York who sailed aboard the RMS Titanic and survived the sinking escaping in life boat D 30
Senghenydd colliery
  • Mr. Edwin George Thorne (b. 1885), Welsh coal miner from Abertridwr, Caerphilly, Wales who was working at the Senghenydd colliery when there was an explosion on the 14th October 1913; he died
SS Atlantic
  • Charles Thorne, who was traveling aboard the ship "SS Atlantic" when it struck rocks off Nova Scotia in 1873, died in the sinking
  1. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  2. Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
  3. Dickinson, F.H., Kirby's Quest for Somerset of 16th of Edward the 3rd London: Harrison and Sons, Printers in Ordinary to Her Majesty, St, Martin's Lane, 1889. Print.
  4. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  5. Worth, R.N., A History of Devonshire London: Elliot Stock, 62, Paternoster Row, E.G., 1895. Digital
  6. Shirley, Evelyn Philip, The Noble and Gentle Men of England; The Arms and Descents. Westminster: John Bower Nichols and Sons, 1866, Print.
  7. Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
  8. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  9. "Surnames Meanings, Origins & Distribution Maps - Forebears." Forebears, https://forebears.io/surnames
  10. The order of Common Surnames in 1955 in Newfoundland retrieved on 20th October 2021 (retrieved from Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland by E.R. Seary corrected edition ISBN 0-7735-1782-0)
  11. "Most Common Last Names in Australia." Forebears, https://forebears.io/australia/surnames
  12. "Most Common Last Names in New Zealand." Forebears, https://forebears.io/new-zealand/surnames
  13. "UK surname ranking." UK Surname map, https://www.surnamemap.eu/unitedkingdom/surnames_ranking.php?p=10
  14. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  15. Pilgrim Ship's of 1600's. Retrieved October 5th 2021 from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
  16. Seary E.R., Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland, Montreal: McGill's-Queen's Universtity Press 1998 ISBN 0-7735-1782-0
  17. Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
  18. Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 58)
  19. State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Asia 1 voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1822 with 190 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/asia/1822
  20. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 5th October 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/florentia
  21. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 9th February 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/eleanor
  22. State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) RAPID 1836. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1836Rapid.htm
  23. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  24. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
  25. Pilgrim Ship Lists Early 1600's retrieved 29th September 2021. Retrieved from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
  26. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, August 18) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  27. Force Z Survivors HMS Dorsetshire Crew List, (Retrieved 2018, February 13th), https://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listdorsetshirecrew.html
  28. HMS Repulse Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listrepulsecrew.html
  29. Ships hit by U-boats crew list HMS Royal Oak (08) - (Retrieved 2018 February, 9th) - retrieved from https://uboat.net/allies/merchants/crews/ship68.html
  30. Titanic Passenger List - Titanic Facts. (Retrieved 2016, July 13) . Retrieved from http://www.titanicfacts.net/titanic-passenger-list.html
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