Tomes
A masculine name of Greek origin meaning "volumes" or "books".
Name Census estimates that about 0 living Americans carry the first name Tomes. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Tomes today is around 0 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Tomes births was 1920 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Tomes. 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
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Tomes. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
0
~ - Americans
Peak year
1920
5 babies that year
Average age
-
1920 SSA rank
#4,924
Tracked since 1920
Popularity
Tomes: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Tomes 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 Tomes during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1920s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Tomes
The name Tomes has its origins in the Greek language, derived from the word "tomos," which means "book" or "volume." It likely emerged during the Byzantine era, when books and literature flourished in the Greek-speaking regions of the Eastern Roman Empire.
In ancient times, the name Tomes may have been associated with scholars, scribes, or individuals involved in the preservation and dissemination of knowledge through written works. The earliest known reference to the name Tomes can be found in the writings of the 10th-century Byzantine scholar and philosopher, Michael Psellos, who mentioned a monk named Tomes in his work "Chronographia."
One of the earliest recorded individuals bearing the name Tomes was Tomes of Lesbos, a Greek poet who lived in the 7th century BCE. His works have unfortunately been lost to history, but he is mentioned in passing by ancient authors such as Athenaeus and Plutarch.
In the 4th century CE, there was a notable Christian martyr named Tomes of Alexandria, who was executed during the Diocletian persecution for refusing to renounce his faith. His story is recounted in the ancient martyrologies and hagiographies of the early Christian Church.
During the Renaissance period, a prominent figure named Tomes Burgius (1515-1592) gained recognition as a Dutch humanist scholar and philosopher. He authored several works on philosophy and theology and played a significant role in the intellectual discourse of his time.
Another notable individual named Tomes was Tomes de Torquemada (1420-1498), a Spanish Dominican friar who served as the first Grand Inquisitor of the Spanish Inquisition. While his actions were controversial, he left a lasting impact on the religious and political landscape of Spain during the 15th century.
In the realm of literature, Tomes Komnenos (1108-1171) was a Byzantine writer and historian who authored the "History of the Emperors of Trebizond," a valuable chronicle that shed light on the history of the Empire of Trebizond in the 12th century.
These are just a few examples of individuals throughout history who bore the name Tomes, showcasing its enduring presence across different cultures, time periods, and disciplines.
People
Tomes + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Tomes 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
Tomes: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Tomes?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 0 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Tomes 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 - US residents.
Is Tomes a common name?
We classify Tomes as "Very Rare". It ranks above 2.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Tomes most popular?
The single biggest year for Tomes was 1920, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Tomes is about 0 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 Tomes in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Tomes a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Tomes 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 Tomes still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Tomes 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 Tomes 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 many Americans are named Tomes?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.