Find out how popular the first name Tommy has been for the last 50 years (from 1974 to 2023) and learn more about the meaning and history.

Popularity of Tommy by gender

Based on the last 50 years of data, Tommy is more commonly used as a male name, with approximately 99% of people named Tommy being male.

For the most recent data in 2023, there were 387 male babies and 20 female babies born with the name Tommy.

Yes—according to the SSA data, 20 baby girls were named Tommy in 2023, despite it being a predominantly male name. We'd love to know why!

The history of the first name Tommy

The name Tommy is an English diminutive or hypocoristic form derived from the name Thomas. Thomas has Greek origins, with the meaning "twin" from the Aramaic word te'oma, meaning "a twin." The name was brought to Britain by the Normans after the Norman Conquest of 1066.

One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Tommy dates back to the 16th century. In 1567, a Thomas Slingsby was referred to as "Tommy Slingsby" in the English State Papers. During this time, the name Tommy was often used as a familiar form or nickname for Thomas.

Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals with the first name Tommy. One of the earliest was Tommy Townshend, an English politician who lived from 1668 to 1738. He served as a Member of Parliament for various constituencies in the early 18th century.

Another famous Tommy was Tommy Atkins, a fictitious name used to represent a typical British soldier in the 19th century. The name was used in training materials and was widely adopted as a term for soldiers in the British Army.

In the world of sports, Tommy Burns was a Scottish boxer and world heavyweight champion who lived from 1881 to 1955. He held the world heavyweight title from 1906 to 1908 and was known for his exceptional defensive skills.

Tommy Dorsey, an American trombonist, composer, and bandleader, was a prominent figure in the big band era of the 1930s and 1940s. He was born in 1905 and passed away in 1956, leaving behind a lasting legacy in the world of jazz and popular music.

Tommy Cooper was an English comedian and magician who lived from 1921 to 1984. He was known for his unique brand of humor, which often involved intentionally botched magic tricks and iconic one-liners.

These are just a few examples of notable figures throughout history who bore the first name Tommy. Despite its origins as a diminutive form of Thomas, the name Tommy has established itself as a distinct and widely recognized name in its own right.

Data source

The first name data used on this page comes from the Social Security Administration (SSA). They've been collecting data on baby names since 1880.

The history and meaning of the name Tommy was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Tommy, please contact us.

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!