Find out how popular the last name St. Thomas is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named St. Thomas.

St. Thomas, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the St. Thomas surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of St. Thomas in America

St. Thomas is the 38050th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The St. Thomas surname appeared 583 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname St. Thomas.

We can also compare 2010 data for St. Thomas to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name St. Thomas

The surname STTHOMAS is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English words "st" and "Thomas," meaning "saint" and "twin," respectively. The name was likely given to someone who lived near a church or settlement dedicated to St. Thomas.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is spelled "Seynt Tomas." This suggests that the name was already in use by the time of the Norman Conquest in 1066.

In the 13th century, the name was commonly spelled "Seint Thomas" or "Seynt Thomas." During this time, a notable bearer of the name was Sir John STTHOMAS (c. 1230-1292), a knight who fought in the Barons' War against King Henry III.

By the 15th century, the spelling had evolved to the more modern form of "STTHOMAS." One prominent individual with this surname was Richard STTHOMAS (c. 1460-1522), a British diplomat and scholar who served as the tutor to Prince Henry, later King Henry VIII.

In the 16th century, the name was found in various parts of England, including Gloucestershire, Somerset, and Devon. One notable bearer from this period was Sir George STTHOMAS (c. 1505-1566), a Member of Parliament and Lord Mayor of London.

In the 17th century, the name spread to other parts of the British Isles, including Ireland and Scotland. A notable bearer from this time was John STTHOMAS (c. 1615-1670), an English clergyman and one of the founders of the Protestant Nonconformist movement.

During the 18th century, the name was found in various parts of the British Empire, including North America and the Caribbean. One notable bearer from this period was John STTHOMAS (1724-1795), a British general who served in the American Revolutionary War.

As the name spread across the English-speaking world, it also underwent various spelling variations, such as "St. Thomas," "Saint Thomas," and "St Tomas." However, the core meaning and origin of the name remained unchanged, reflecting its connection to the Christian saint and the medieval English tradition of place-name surnames.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name St. Thomas

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname St. Thomas.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for St. Thomas was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of St. Thomas has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

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

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

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