Thompson
An English surname meaning "son of Thomas".
Name Census estimates that about 1,921 living Americans carry the first name Thompson. It is a predominantly male name (99.3% of registrations). The average person named Thompson today is around 32 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Thompson births was 2018 (76 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Thompson. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
1.9K
~ 1 in 178,425 Americans
Peak year
2018
76 babies that year
Average age
32
years old
2024 SSA rank
#2,934
Tracked since 1882
Gender
Gender distribution for Thompson
Out of the 2,684 babies given the name Thompson since 1880, 99.3% were registered as male. The name sits firmly on the male side of the spectrum, with only a handful of female registrations across the entire dataset.
Thompson as a male name
- Ranked #2,934 in 2024
- 43 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2018 (76 births)
Thompson as a female name
- Ranked #17,413 in 2024
- 5 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2022 (8 births)
Popularity
Thompson: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Thompson from the 1880s through to the 2020s, spanning 15 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 474 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Thompson remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Thompson by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Thompson during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Thompsons live
The SSA's state-level files cover 12 states and territories. California, Texas, Georgia recorded the most babies named Thompson, while Washington, Ohio, New Mexico recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 18 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Thompson
The name Thompson is an English given name that originated as a surname derived from the occupation of a maker of thongs or straps. It is believed to have emerged in the late 12th or early 13th century, stemming from the Old English words "thwong" meaning strap or rope, and "mann" meaning man.
The earliest recorded use of Thompson as a surname dates back to the Hundred Rolls of 1273, where a William Thomasson is mentioned in Oxfordshire, England. As a given name, it began to be used in the 16th century, initially as a patronymic, with the son of a Thomas being called Thompson.
One of the earliest notable figures with the given name Thompson was Thompson Buck (c.1590-1634), an English navigator and explorer who accompanied Sir Thomas Roe on his voyage to India and the East Indies in 1615. He later published a detailed account of his travels titled "Relation of a Voyage to the East Indies."
Another significant historical figure with the name Thompson was Thompson Westcott (1668-1744), an English churchman and theologian who served as the Bishop of Bristol from 1727 until his death. He was known for his scholarly works on Christian doctrine and his efforts to promote education in his diocese.
In the realm of science, Thompson Rion (1794-1838) was an American chemist and mineralogist who made significant contributions to the study of minerals and their classification. He was one of the founding members of the American Association of Geologists and Naturalists.
The name Thompson also has a notable literary connection with Thompson Buchanan (1808-1841), an American poet and essayist who was part of the Transcendentalist movement. His works, such as "Outlines of Men, Women, and Things," explored themes of nature, spirituality, and the human condition.
Lastly, in the realm of music, Thompson Eugene Ruggles (1887-1959) was an American composer known for his innovative and experimental works. He was a pioneer of dissonant counterpoint and influenced the development of modern classical music in the United States.
People
Thompson + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Thompson as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with T
Other first names starting with T with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Thompson: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Thompson?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,921 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Thompson going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 178,425 US residents.
Is Thompson a common name?
We classify Thompson as "Rare". It ranks above 93.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 2,684 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Thompson most popular?
The single biggest year for Thompson was 2018, when 76 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Thompson is about 32 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Thompson a male name?
Yes, 99.3% of people registered as Thompson in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.