Tomi
From Japanese origin, meaning "beautiful gem".
Name Census estimates that about 2,480 living Americans carry the first name Tomi. It is a predominantly female name (95.5% of registrations). The average person named Tomi today is around 43 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Tomi births was 1979 (63 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Tomi. 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
- • Although Tomi is used almost entirely for girls, the SSA data does show 131 boys registered with the name since 1880.
People living today
2.5K
~ 1 in 138,207 Americans
Peak year
1979
63 babies that year
Average age
43
years old
2022 SSA rank
#5,754
Tracked since 1916
Gender
Gender distribution for Tomi
Tomi leans heavily female at 95.5% of total registrations, but 131 boys have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Tomi as a male name
- Ranked #12,173 in 2022
- 6 male births in 2022
- Peak: 1999 (12 births)
Tomi as a female name
- Ranked #5,754 in 2024
- 22 female births in 2024
- Peak: 1977 (60 births)
Popularity
Tomi: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Tomi from the 1910s through to the 2020s, spanning 12 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 483 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1970s peak, Tomi remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Tomi 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 Tomi during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Tomis live
The SSA's state-level files cover 9 states and territories. California, Texas, Ohio recorded the most babies named Tomi, while Pennsylvania, Washington, Oklahoma recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 43 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Tomi
The name Tomi is of Finnish origin, derived from the Finnish word "tomi," which means "dust" or "powder." The name likely originated in the medieval period when Finnish names were heavily influenced by nature and the environment.
Tomi was a popular name among the Finnish people, particularly in rural areas where agricultural life was closely tied to the land. The name may have been given to children born during the harvesting season when the air was filled with the dust of threshed grains.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Tomi can be found in the Kalevala, the epic poem that forms the basis of Finnish mythology. In the poem, Tomi is mentioned as a hero who aids in the creation of the world.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals bearing the name Tomi. One of the earliest was Tomi Sundvik (1530-1609), a Finnish clergyman and reformer who played a crucial role in the translation of the Bible into Finnish.
In the realm of art, Tomi Ungerer (1931-2019) was a renowned French illustrator and author of children's books, known for his unique and whimsical style.
Tomi Lahren (born 1992) is a contemporary American political commentator and former host on TheBlaze and Fox News, known for her bold and controversial opinions on various social and political issues.
In the world of sports, Tomi Ameobi (born 1981) is a Nigerian former professional footballer who played as a striker for various clubs in England and the United States.
Another prominent figure was Tomi Adeyemi (born 1993), a Nigerian-American novelist best known for her critically acclaimed young adult fantasy novel "Children of Blood and Bone," which was inspired by West African mythology and culture.
While the name Tomi has its roots in Finnish culture, it has gained popularity in other parts of the world, particularly among those with Finnish heritage or an appreciation for the unique and intriguing sound of the name.
People
Tomi + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Tomi 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
Tomi: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Tomi?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 2,480 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Tomi 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 138,207 US residents.
Is Tomi a common name?
We classify Tomi as "Rare". It ranks above 94.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 2,924 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Tomi most popular?
The single biggest year for Tomi was 1979, when 63 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Tomi is about 43 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Tomi a female name?
Yes, 95.5% of people registered as Tomi in the SSA data are female. 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.