Toma
A feminine name of Native American origin meaning "morning twilight".
Name Census estimates that about 767 living Americans carry the first name Toma. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 74.5% of registrations being male. The average person named Toma today is around 36 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Toma births was 1974 (105 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Toma. 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
- • Toma was once a predominantly female name but has become increasingly popular for boys in recent decades.
People living today
767
~ 1 in 446,877 Americans
Peak year
1974
105 babies that year
Average age
36
years old
2024 SSA rank
#5,406
Tracked since 1929
Gender
Gender distribution for Toma
Toma is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 848 total registrations, 632 (74.5%) were male and 216 (25.5%) were female.
Toma as a male name
- Ranked #5,406 in 2024
- 18 male births in 2024
- Peak: 1974 (84 births)
Toma as a female name
- Ranked #13,986 in 1998
- 6 female births in 1998
- Peak: 1973 (21 births)
Popularity
Toma: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Toma from the 1920s through to the 2020s, spanning 10 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 307 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1970s peak, Toma remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Toma 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 Toma during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Tomas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 5 states and territories. New York, California, North Carolina recorded the most babies named Toma, while Ohio, Texas, North Carolina recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 15 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Toma
The name Toma has its origins in the ancient Greek language, tracing back to the Byzantine era. It is derived from the Greek word "tomos," meaning "volume" or "book," suggesting a connection to knowledge, wisdom, and scholarly pursuits.
During the Byzantine period, the name Toma was commonly used among Greek scholars, scribes, and intellectuals, reflecting their reverence for learning and literary traditions. It gained popularity as a name bestowed upon individuals who dedicated their lives to the pursuit of knowledge and the preservation of ancient texts.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Toma can be found in the writings of the renowned Byzantine scholar and theologian, John Damascene (676-749 AD). He made references to a learned monk named Toma, who was renowned for his extensive knowledge of classical literature and philosophy.
Throughout the Middle Ages, the name Toma appeared in various historical records and chronicles, often associated with individuals who made significant contributions to the intellectual and cultural life of their respective communities. One notable bearer of this name was Toma Aquinas (1225-1274), an Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and theologian, who became known as the "Doctor Angelicus" and is widely regarded as one of the most influential thinkers in the history of the Catholic Church.
During the Renaissance period, the name Toma continued to be associated with scholars and intellectuals, particularly in Italy and other parts of Europe influenced by the revival of classical learning. Toma Campanella (1568-1639), an Italian Renaissance philosopher, poet, and political theorist, was a prominent figure who bore this name.
In the realm of literature, the name Toma has been immortalized through the works of renowned authors. One such example is Toma Kyd (1558-1594), an English dramatist and playwright, best known for his influential Elizabethan tragedy, "The Spanish Tragedy."
Another notable figure bearing the name Toma was Toma Moro (1478-1535), an English Renaissance scholar, lawyer, and philosopher, who served as Lord Chancellor of England under King Henry VIII. He is renowned for his work "Utopia," a seminal work of political philosophy that influenced generations of thinkers and social reformers.
These examples illustrate the rich historical legacy of the name Toma, which has been closely tied to the pursuit of knowledge, intellectual discourse, and cultural achievements across various periods and regions.
People
Toma + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Toma 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
Toma: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Toma?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 767 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Toma 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 446,877 US residents.
Is Toma a common name?
We classify Toma as "Very Rare". It ranks above 88.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 848 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Toma most popular?
The single biggest year for Toma was 1974, when 105 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Toma is about 36 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Toma a male name?
Yes, 74.5% of people registered as Toma 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.