Thornton (surname)
Thornton is a surname found in Ireland and Britain.
Bearers of the surname include:
People
A
- A. G. Thornton (1886–1969), British novelist and journalist
- Abraham Thornton (c. 1793–?), Englishman acquitted of murder who, on appeal, demanded trial by battle
- 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
- Ant Thornton, American politician
- Archibald Paton Thornton (1921–2004), Scottish academic and historian
- Argonne Thornton (1919–1983), also known as Sadik Hakim, American jazz pianist and composer
B
- 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 (disambiguation)
C
- Charley Thornton (1936–2004), American college athletics administrator
- Corey Thornton (born 2001), American football player
D
- David Thornton (disambiguation)
- 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
E
- Edward Thornton (disambiguation)
- Eleanor 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
F
- Frank Thornton (1921–2013), English actor
G
- George Thornton (disambiguation)
- Glenys Thornton, Baroness Thornton (born 1952), British politician
- Grant Thornton (cricketer) (born 1992), English cricketer
H
- Henry Thornton (disambiguation)
- Hugh Thornton (American football) (born 1991), American football player
J
- J. Lyndon Thornton (1886–1953), American politician from Nebraska
- James Thornton (disambiguation)
- Jarvis Thornton (born 2006), English footballer
- Joe Thornton (born 1979), Canadian ice hockey player
- John Thornton (disambiguation)
K
- Kalen Thornton (born 1982), American football player
- Kate Thornton (born 1973), English television presenter
- Kathryn C. Thornton (born 1952), American physicist and astronaut
- Keith Thornton (born 1963), American hip hop artist Kool Keith
- Kelly Thornton (born 1997), Irish actress
- Kelly Thornton (director) (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
L
- Lawrence Thornton (born 1937), American novelist and critic
- Leslie Thornton (filmmaker) (born 1951), American filmmaker and artist
- Leslie Thornton (sculptor) (1925–2016), English sculptor
- Lou Thornton (born 1963), former Major League Baseball player
M
- Malcolm Thornton (born 1939), British politician
- 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)
O
- Omar Thornton (1976–2010), murderer of eight co-workers who then committed suicide
P
- Patricia H. Thornton (born 1960s), American organizational theorist
- Paul Thornton, former drummer of the American folk and rock band Godz
R
- Randy Thornton (born 1964), American former football player and professional wrestler
- Richard Thornton (disambiguation)
- Robert Thornton (disambiguation)
- Roger Thornton (died 1430), British politician
S
- Samantha Thornton (born 1966), Australian basketball player
- Samuel Thornton (disambiguation)
- Sara Thornton (disambiguation)
- Sarah Thornton (born 1965), cultural sociologist
- Scott Thornton (footballer) (born 1982), Australian rules footballer
- Scott Thornton (ice hockey) (born 1971), Canadian form National Hockey League player
- Sean Thornton (born 1983), Irish 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
T
- Terrence Thornton (born 1977), birth name of American rapper and record executive Pusha T
- Tiffany Thornton (born 1986), American actress
- Tim Thornton (disambiguation)
- Trent Thornton (born 1993), American baseball player
- Tyquan Thornton (born 2000), American football player
V
- Virgil Thornton Sr., American politician
W
- Walter Thornton (1875–1960), American baseball player
- Walter Thornton (cricketer) (1858–1915), English cricketer
- Warwick Thornton, Australian cinematographer and director
- Willie Mae Big Mama Thornton (1926–1984), American singer and songwriter
- William Thornton (disambiguation)
Y
- Yvonne Thornton, American obstetrician-gynecologist, musician and author
Z
- Zac Thornton (born 2002), American baseball player
- Zach Thornton (born 1973), American soccer player
- Zack Thornton (born 1988), American baseball player
Fictional characters
- Sean Thornton, protagonist of the film The Quiet Man, portrayed by John Wayne
- Tara Thornton, in The Southern Vampire Mysteries novel series and the television adaptation True Blood