| Official Name: | Thornton Township |
| Settlement Type: | Township |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | United States |
| Subdivision Type1: | State |
| Subdivision Name1: | Nebraska |
| Subdivision Type2: | County |
| Subdivision Name2: | Buffalo |
| Area Total Km2: | 93.65 |
| Area Land Km2: | 93.65 |
| Area Water Km2: | 0 |
| Area Total Sq Mi: | 36.16 |
| Area Land Sq Mi: | 36.16 |
| Area Water Sq Mi: | 0 |
| Area Water Percent: | 0 |
| Population As Of: | 2000 |
| Population Total: | 181 |
| Population Density Km2: | 1.9 |
| Population Density Sq Mi: | 5 |
| Elevation M: | 669 |
| Elevation Ft: | 2195 |
| Coordinates: | 40.8256°N -99.0117°W |
| Blank Name: | GNIS feature ID |
| Blank Info: | 0838283 |
Thornton Township is one of twenty-six townships in Buffalo County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 181 at the 2000 census. A 2006 estimate placed the township's population at 178.[1] In 1883 the Buffalo County Board of Directors named the township for Samuel W. Thornton, a local politician, farmer, and Civil War soldier.[2]