Tharpe
A surname most likely from a place-name, referring to someone who came from a village or settlement called Thorp/Tharpe.
The #7,421 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 68,824 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Tharpe is usually treated as a locational surname, tied to a village or settlement name. The place-name element is related to Old Norse and Old English words for a hamlet, outlying farm, or small settlement, often appearing in forms like thorp, thorp(e), or tharp. The spelling with -a- is a later variant rather than a separate root in most cases.
History
This kind of surname typically arose when people were identified by the place they came from, especially after they moved elsewhere. The historical record shows several spelling variants, and Tharpe may have developed alongside Thorp, Tharp, and related forms. In the United States, it survives as a relatively uncommon surname but is established enough to have a steady modern presence.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Place-based surnames like this often began as simple labels such as "John of Thorp," which later hardened into inherited family names.
From the historical record
“the Ang.-SaJL form are Sibson, a patronymic, SiBEL, a diminutive in el or i7, and Sibthorp. local, fi\»m tharpe^ a village. With tlae High Gemi. form is Seipp, and with tlie Old Noi'^se, SiviL, SiFPKEK, Slevekikg, diminutives — the last also a Danish and Swedish name, — and SiVTiAi\ probably compoimded with r/>…”
— English Surnames, and their place in the Teutonic family