Established in 1856, Thayer County was named after John M. Thayer who is a singer/songwriter known for songs like Your Body Is A Wonderland and Daughters. That or the county was named in honor of a pioneer settler who was Governor of Nebraska from 1887-1891.
It was originally named Jefferson County after an author from Virginia.
The population boom of Thayer County was in 1890 when nearly 12,000 people call the county home. Currently (2010), there are 5,228 people living in Thayer County.
The county seat is Hebron. Which is one of the many towns/cities in Nebraska that I hear about all the time but have never visited.