Thornton is a surname found in Ireland and Britain.
Bearers of the surname
- Abraham Thornton
- Al Thornton (born 1983), American basketball player
- Alfred Thornton (1853–1906), English footballer from the 1870s
- Alice Thornton (1626–1707), British autobiographer
- Andre Thornton (born 1949), American baseball player
- Andrew Thornton (born 1972), British jockey
- Andrew C. Thornton II (1944–1985), American narcotics officer, lawyer, and drug smuggler
- Anne Jane Thornton (1817–1877), cabin boy and ship's cook
- Anne Thornton (born 1981), American pastry chef
- Archibald Thornton (1921–2004), Scottish academic and historian
- A. G. Thornton (1886–1969), British novelist and journalist
- Sadik Hakim (born Argonne Thornton, 1919–1983) American jazz pianist and composer
- Barry Thornton, RAF officer
- Barry Thornton (cricketer) (born 1941), Australian cricketer
- Big Mama Thornton (1926–1984), American singer and songwriter
- Billy Bob Thornton (born 1955), American actor
- Bonnell Thornton (1725 – 1768), English poet, essayist, and critic
- Bret Thornton (born 1983), Australian rules footballer
- Bruce Thornton (born 1953), American classicist
- Charley Thornton (1936–2004), American college athletics administrator
- David Thornton (musician) (born 1978), British euphonium player
- David Thornton (actor) (born 1953), American actor and husband to Cyndi Lauper
- David Thornton (American football) (born 1978), linebacker for the Tennessee Titans
- De'mario Monte Thornton, real name of Raz-B, member of boy band B2K
- Dont'e Thornton (born 2002), American football player
- Duncan Thornton (born 1962), Canadian author, speaker, and futurist
- Edward Thornton (disambiguation)
- Eleanor Velasco Thornton (1880–1915), British actress and model
- Elizabeth Thornton (1940 – 12 July 2010), British-Canadian writer
- Ella May Thornton (1885-1971), American librarian
- Flora L. Thornton (1913–2010), American actress and philanthropist
- Frank Thornton (1921–2013), English actor
- George Thornton (disambiguation)
- Glenys Thornton, Baroness Thornton
- Grant Thornton
- Henry Thornton (disambiguation)
- Henry Thornton (abolitionist) (1760–1815), campaigner against the slave trade
- Henry Thornton (railroader) (1871–1933), president of Canadian National Railway
- Hugh Thornton (American football) (born 1991), American football player
- James Thornton (disambiguation)
- James Thornton (naval officer) (1826–1875)
- James Worth Thornton, businessman and son of Sir Henry Worth Thornton
- Jim Thornton (born 1965), American announcer, news anchor, and voice actor
- Joe Thornton (born 1979), Canadian ice hockey player
- John L. Thornton (born 1954), American business man
- John R. Thornton (1846–1917), American politician
- John Wingate Thornton (1818–1878), American lawyer, historian, author
- John Thornton (1720–1790), British merchant and Christian philanthropist
- Kalen Thornton (born 1982), American football player
- Kate Thornton (born 1973), English television presenter
- Kathryn Thornton (born 1952), American scientist and astronaut
- Keith Thornton (born 1963), American hip hop artist Kool Keith
- Kelly Thornton (born 1997), Irish actress
- Kelly Thornton (born 1965), Canadian theatre director and dramaturge
- Kevin Thornton (chef), Irish Michelin starred chef
- Kevin Thornton (footballer) (born 1986), Irish footballer
- Khyri Thornton (born 1989), American football player
- Kirk Thornton, American voice actor, director and script writer
- Kristin Thornton (born 1988), Australian rules footballer
- Lawrence Thornton (born 1937), American novelist and critic
- Leslie Thornton (born 1951), American filmmaker and artist
- Leslie Thornton (sculptor) (1925–2016), English sculptor
- Lou Thornton (born 1963), former major league baseball player
- Malcolm Thornton (born 1939), British politician
- Marcia Thornton Jones (born 1958), American children's author
- Marcus Thornton (disambiguation)
- Mark Thornton (born 1960), American economist
- Matt Thornton (disambiguation)
- Matthew Thornton (1714–1803), first president of New Hampshire House of Representatives
- Melanie Thornton (1967–2001), American musician
- Melody Thornton (born 1984), American singer and television personality
- Merle Thornton (1930–2024), Australian feminist activist
- Michael Thornton (disambiguation)
- Michael B. Thornton (born 1954), American judge
- Omar Thornton, murderer of 8 and suicide, see Hartford Distributors shooting
- Patricia H. Thornton (born 1960s), American organizational theorist
- Paul Thornton, Live Events Producer
- Randy Thornton (born 1964),
- Richard Thornton (1776–1865), English millionaire
- Robert Thornton (disambiguation)
- Roger Thornton (died 1430), British politician
- Samantha Thornton (born 1966), Australian basketball player
- Samuel Thornton (disambiguation)
- Sara Thornton (disambiguation)
- Sarah L. Thornton (born 1965), cultural sociologist
- Scott Thornton (born 1971), Canadian ice hockey player
- Sean Thornton (born 1983), Irish professional footballer
- Shawn Thornton (born 1977), Canadian ice hockey player
- Sigrid Thornton (born 1959), Australian actress
- Simon Thornton (born 1977), Irish professional golfer
- Sidney Thornton (1954-2023), American football player
- Terrence Thornton (born 1977), birth name of American rapper and record executive Pusha T
- Tiffany Thornton (born 1986), American actress
- Tim Thornton (bishop) (born 1957), Bishop of Truro, and of Sherborne
- Tim Thornton (double bassist) (born 1988), British jazz double bassist
- Tim Thornton (musician, born 1973), English drummer, guitarist and novelist
- Tim Thornton (philosopher) (born 1966), British philosopher
- Trent Thornton (born 1993), American baseball player
- Tyquan Thornton (born 2000), American football player
- Walter Thornton (1875–1960), American baseball player
- Walter Thornton (cricketer) (1858–1915), English cricketer
- Warwick Thornton, Australian cinematographer and director
- William Thornton (disambiguation)
- Zach Thornton (born 1973), American soccer player
- Zack Thornton (born 1988), American baseball player
Fictional characters
- Sean Thornton, a character portrayed by John Wayne in The Quiet Man
First name
- Thornton Wilder, American playwright
Surname listThis page lists people with the surname Thornton. If an internal link intending to refer to a specific person led you to this page, you may wish to change that link by adding the person's given name(s) to the link. Categories: