Thornes: Last Name Origin and Family Crest

Ask a genealogist about Thornes and the first name they will mention is Thorne. In origin, the name means “one who lived by a thorn bush”.

A variant of Thorne

Thornes adds a patronymic ending to Thorne, marking ‘son of’ or ‘of the family of’. Local scribes, dialects and emigration all left their mark on how the name was written. You may also find the name written Torne and Thorn.

How common is Thornes?

According to the 2010 US Census, the Thornes surname had 371 bearers.

Heraldry and the Thornes name

A coat of arms belongs to a particular family line rather than to everyone named Thornes, so the heraldry linked to Thorne is a starting point, not an automatic right.

For the full story, order the Thornes surname pack.