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

Thom, 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 Thom surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Thom in America

Thom is the 6185th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Thom surname appeared 5,531 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Thom.

We can also compare 2010 data for Thom 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 Thom

The surname THOM is of English origin, derived from the medieval given name Thomas, which means "twin" in Aramaic. The earliest recorded instances of this surname date back to the late 12th century in various parts of England.

One of the earliest known bearers of this surname was William Thom, a landowner from Oxfordshire, mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of 1190. Another early record is that of Robert Thom, who was listed in the Feet of Fines for Yorkshire in 1212.

The THOM surname is believed to have originated from the Old English personal name "Tomas," which was introduced to Britain by the Normans after the Norman Conquest of 1066. The name spread quickly throughout England and became a popular given name, eventually evolving into a hereditary surname.

In the Domesday Book of 1086, the earliest comprehensive record of landholders in England, there are no direct references to the THOM surname, as surnames were not widely used at that time. However, the given name Thomas is listed, indicating the name's presence in England during the 11th century.

During the Middle Ages, the THOM surname was found in various regions of England, including Yorkshire, Lancashire, and Oxfordshire. Some notable historical figures with this surname include John Thom (c.1330-1400), a prominent merchant and alderman in London, and Sir Nicholas Thom (c.1460-1530), a Member of Parliament for Somerset during the reign of Henry VIII.

Other individuals of note bearing the THOM surname include William Thom (1799-1848), a Scottish writer and weaver known as the "Bard of Inverury"; James Thom (1801-1850), a Scottish sculptor and portrait painter; and James Thom (1858-1920), a British mathematician and educator who made significant contributions to the field of geometry.

In the United States, one of the earliest recorded instances of the THOM surname was that of John Thom, who arrived in Virginia in 1638. Another early bearer was James Thom, who settled in New Jersey in 1685.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Thom

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

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 Thom 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 Thom 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 Thom was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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