Thos
A contracted form of the masculine given name Thomas of Greek origin meaning "twin".
Name Census estimates that about 3 living Americans carry the first name Thos. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Thos today is around 136 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Thos births was 1915 (14 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Thos. 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.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Thos is about 136 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Thos' were born before 1900.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Thos. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
3
~ 1 in 114,251,446 Americans
Peak year
1915
14 babies that year
Average age
136
years old
1928 SSA rank
#4,104
Tracked since 1881
Popularity
Thos: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Thos from the 1880s through to the 1920s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1910s, with 85 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1910s peak, Thos remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Thos 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 Thos during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Thos
Thos is a given name with origins that can be traced back to ancient Greece and the Greek word "Theodoros", which means "gift of God." The name became popular in the early days of Christianity and was often given to children as a reflection of the parents' religious beliefs and devotion.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Thos can be found in the writings of the ancient Greek historian Thucydides, who mentioned a man named Thos in his work "The Peloponnesian War." The name also appears in various other ancient Greek texts and inscriptions from the classical period.
As Christianity spread throughout the Roman Empire and beyond, the name Thos became more widely used. In the 4th century AD, there was a notable Bishop of Alexandria named Thos who played a significant role in the early Christian Church. His influence helped to further popularize the name among early Christian communities.
During the Middle Ages, the name Thos remained relatively common in Europe, particularly in regions with strong Christian traditions. One of the most famous individuals with this name was Thos Aquinas, the renowned philosopher and theologian who lived from 1225 to 1274. His extensive writings and philosophical works had a profound impact on the development of Western thought and the Catholic Church.
In the Renaissance period, the name Thos gained further popularity, particularly among the intellectual and artistic circles of the time. One notable figure was Thos More, the English Renaissance humanist and statesman who lived from 1478 to 1535. He is best known for his work "Utopia" and his eventual execution for refusing to acknowledge King Henry VIII's marriage to Anne Boleyn.
Another prominent individual named Thos was Thos Hobbes, the English philosopher who lived from 1588 to 1679. His seminal work "Leviathan" and his contributions to political philosophy and the social contract theory had a significant impact on modern political thought.
In more recent centuries, the name Thos has continued to be used, albeit less frequently than in earlier periods. One notable figure was Thos Edison, the renowned American inventor and businessman who lived from 1847 to 1931. His numerous inventions, including the phonograph and the practical incandescent light bulb, revolutionized the world and ushered in a new era of technological advancement.
People
Thos + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Thos 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
Thos: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Thos?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 3 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Thos 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 114,251,446 US residents.
Is Thos a common name?
We classify Thos as "Very Rare". It ranks above 4.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 166 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Thos most popular?
The single biggest year for Thos was 1915, when 14 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Thos is about 136 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Thos in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Thos a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Thos 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.
Is Thos still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Thos in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Thos can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How common is the name Thos?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.