Tomia
A feminine name derived from the Greek words "tomos" meaning "sharply" and "metrios" meaning "balanced, well-balanced."
Name Census estimates that about 199 living Americans carry the first name Tomia. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Tomia today is around 29 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Tomia births was 2002 (18 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Tomia. 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
199
~ 1 in 1,722,384 Americans
Peak year
2002
18 babies that year
Average age
29
years old
2015 SSA rank
#18,890
Tracked since 1968
Census
Tomia in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 263 people with the first name Tomia, which placed it at #32,158 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#32,158
National first-name rank
People counted
263
263 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
77.2% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tomia
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Tomia is Black at 77.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (9.5%) and White (8.4%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Tomia described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Tomia at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American77.2% · 203
- Two or more races9.5% · 25
- White8.4% · 22
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.9% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.1% · 3
Popularity
Tomia: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Tomia from the 1960s through to the 2010s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 91 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Tomia 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 Tomia 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 Tomia
The name Tomia is an intriguing one with a rich history that spans multiple cultures and time periods. Its roots can be traced back to ancient Greece, where it was derived from the Greek word "tomos," meaning "to cut" or "to divide." In this context, the name may have been associated with those who worked as skilled craftsmen or artisans, particularly in fields that involved cutting or shaping materials.
During the Byzantine era, the name Tomia gained prominence as a feminine form of the name Thomas, which was derived from the Aramaic word "te'oma," meaning "twin." This connection to the biblical figure of Thomas the Apostle added a religious significance to the name, and it became popular among Christian communities in the region.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Tomia can be found in the writings of the 5th-century Byzantine historian Procopius of Caesarea, who mentioned a woman named Tomia in his work "The Secret History." This suggests that the name was in use during the 6th century AD, though its origins may predate this period.
Throughout the medieval era, the name Tomia appeared sporadically in various historical records across Europe. Notable figures who bore this name include Tomia of Lesbos, a 9th-century Byzantine poet and hymnographer, and Tomia Sinibaldi, an Italian noblewoman who lived in the 13th century and was known for her philanthropic work.
As the Renaissance dawned, the name Tomia gained popularity in certain regions of Europe, particularly in Italy and Greece. One notable individual from this period was Tomia Gambacorta, a 15th-century Italian noblewoman and patron of the arts, who was known for her support of Renaissance artists and scholars.
In the 17th century, the name Tomia appeared in the writings of the French dramatist Jean Racine, who featured a character named Tomia in his play "Bajazet." This literary reference further cemented the name's place in European culture and added to its legacy.
As time progressed, the name Tomia continued to be used, albeit sporadically, across various cultures and regions. In the 19th century, Tomia Naudina was a renowned Russian ballerina who performed with the Bolshoi Ballet, showcasing the name's enduring presence in the arts and cultural spheres.
While the name Tomia may not be as widespread today as it once was, its rich history and diverse cultural influences make it a fascinating study in onomastics, the study of names and their origins. From its ancient Greek roots to its adoption in Byzantine and European contexts, the name Tomia has left an indelible mark on the tapestry of human history.
People
Tomia + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Tomia 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
Tomia: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Tomia?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 199 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Tomia 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 1,722,384 US residents.
Is Tomia a common name?
We classify Tomia as "Very Rare". It ranks above 74.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 206 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Tomia most popular?
The single biggest year for Tomia was 2002, when 18 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Tomia is about 29 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Tomia in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 263 people with the name Tomia, or 0.09 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #32,158 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Tomia in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Tomia?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Tomia leans strongly female. 257 people counted with this name were female (97.7%), compared with 6 male bearers (2.3%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Tomia?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Tomia is Black at 77.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (9.5%) and White (8.4%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Tomia most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Tomia in the 2020 Census, accounting for 77.2% (203 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
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 Tomia in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Tomia a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Tomia 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.
Is Tomia still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Tomia 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 Tomia 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.
How many people share the name Tomia?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.