It’s a humble surname name with a surprisingly snazzy feel.
Thanks to Nick & Erin for requesting Thatcher as Name of the Day.
First, Nick and Erin are parents to Thacher – a variant spelling that puts some distance between the name and its most famous bearer.
After all, it is difficult to say the name and not think of the Iron Lady, the UK’s first female Prime Minister, Margaret Hilda Thatcher. Depending on your politics, this can be a hero name – or a deeply unfortunate association. But if Reagan can rank #156 for girls in the US, it’s not an insurmountable obstacle.
Thatcher is sure to attract more attention these days, thanks to celeb chef Cat Cora’s new starbaby Thatcher Julius. But for now, he’s still rare. As of 2007, Thatcher had never ranked in the US Top 1000.
Of course, the surname is quite common, and Census records turn up plenty of Thatchers over the years.
One pop culture figure was fictional William Thatcher, Heath Ledger’s valiant character in 2001′s A Knight’s Tale. With the help of a ragtag-yet-loyal group of friends – including Geoffrey Chaucer! - the peasant pulls himself up to become a champion jouster. (He gets the girl, too, even after his modest beginnings are revealed.)
William Thatcher earned his surname because his father earned a living patching rooves with straw – thatch. It’s one of those occupational appellations linked to a job that few have these days – not unlike the chart-topping Mason.
Thatch comes from the Old High German decchen, to cover. It evolved into thakan, then traveled to Middle English as thachen.
You wouldn’t name your child Roofer, but Thatcher has a surprisingly picturesque quality. Besides the second of Threee Little Pigs, Thatcher shows up on the map in Vermont, California and elsewhere. There’s also:
- Children’s book Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher by Bruce Coville. Jeremy splurges on an oversized marble – only the marble turns out to be a dragon’s egg.
- Becky Thatcher, of the Tom Sawyer series. Judge Thatcher’s yellow haired daughter was Tom’s love interest;
- Veteran character actor Torin Thatcher was known for playing big screen bad guys in the 1930s, 40s and 50s;
- Admiral Henry Thatcher led the US Navy during the Civil War. Two USS Thatchers have been named in his honor;
- Laurel Thatcher Ulrich is a Harvard professor and expert on women’s history, well known for her famous quote, “Well behaved women seldom make history.”
Lastly, there’s the Thatcher effect. Ever looked at an upside down face? The Thatcher effect explains that it is difficult to detect features – or changes to features – in an upside down face, even if they would be glaringly obvious when the fact is right-side up. This reference takes us back to where we started – the phenomenon was named after the inverted face used in the study – Margaret Thatcher.
Overall, Thatcher feels like a winning choice. He has the style of chart-toppers Tyler, Carter and Cooper but is far less common. Plus, his sound is undeniably distinctive. If you don’t mind his status as a surname, Thatcher could be a great pick.
I’m not the world’s biggest fan of surnames-as-first-names, so no one will be surprised when I say, “this isn’t for me”. The odd spelling Thacher is strange, too. It definitely bothers me (but that’s because I’m a grammar- and spelling-phile – and yes, I’m aware those aren’t real words.) It makes me want to say THAY-cher instead of THAT-cher. I do definitely think of GB’s former PM, and I was thinking of Heath Ledger, too – but wasn’t sure why until you explained it, Verity. Before I ever used this name, there would have to be a strong connection, either familial or personal.
While not generally a fan of surnames as firsts, I do like Thatcher. I also like several other “olde tyme” profession names that are also surnames (I think that’s the distinction for me – with the profession names, it’s clear that it was a profession that became a surname, whereas with other surnames, like recently discussed St. John and Sinclair, that is lost and it just sounds surnamey to me). I will admit that Margaret Thatcher is a strong association with the name, but probably quite a bit less so than if we were still living on the other side of the Atlantic. It also evokes pictures of stone buildings with thatch tops nestled in rolling green hills .Overall, I think it’s got I nice sound and makes for a fine name.
I’m one who thinks of Margaret first, so it’s a no go, for me. But I don’t mind it. Thatcher’s got a bit more style than some other occupation names I can think of (Tyler, YOU).
As for Thacher, I’m sure he’ll have to spell his name out/correct folks fairly often. It doesn’t bother me any but it may end up making him midly rabid.
The name, however it’s spelled is a nice one and I wouldn’t mind seeing it on other people’s kids, not at all! 
Thatcher’s nice. I’m not crazy for it, but I can completely appreciate his appeal. I admire Margaret Thatcher overall; in retrospect, she strikes me as a libertarian. As socially liberal as I am, I’m a huge supporter of privatization and smaller government. Her economic policies were pretty revolutionary. Anyhoo, I would never spell it without the “T,” but I always advise against spelling variations in general.
I like Thatcher just fine. I think of Becky Thatcher before Margaret Thatcher. I’m generally not a huge fan of occupational/surname names for kids unless they’re being used in honor of a namesake (I’m one who would consider naming a kid Chaucer if I could get away with it), but I think it’s a good, uncommon choice for someone else.
I am the “Nick” of “Nick and Erin”, so obviously I am a fan of the name! We chose it because we liked the occupational meaning, not so much roofer, as someone whose work brings people together (… under the shelter of a dry roof), and it helps that a thatcher interweaves the straw or other material and layers it to create the roof. The spelling is not actually that uncommon (think The Thacher School), we liked the look, associations (and non associations) more for the variant spelling. Thanks to Verity for including it! We are big fans of the site.
I love Thatcher, and Thacher is a neat spelling variant, Nick and Erin! Bravo on your unique but chic name choice!
So, yea, Becky Thatcher is my “big” Thatcher association, although Margaret’s there, too – oh, well. It also reminds me of The Thatched Tavern, this restaurant-pub that my family used to frequent when I lived in England as a child, so that’s nice. I’ve recently become enamored with the idea of using surnames for classic children’s literature for the middle names of my future sons; clearly, Thatcher fits the bill! I’m playing with Toby Thatcher at the moment, which seems the perfect mix of classic sophistication and quirky playfulness. Others I love are McGregor (Peter Rabbit, Benjamin Bunny) and Lennox (The Secret Garden).
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