2000
#6,024
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,257
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.95
Rare Last name
Thom
Derived from the given name Thomas, which comes from the Aramaic for "twin."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,915 Americans carry the last name Thom. That puts it at #6,338 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.73 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 57,947 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Thom surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Thom with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.9K
1 in 57,947
Census rank
#6,338
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,158 bearers of the surname Thom in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.73 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6338th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Thom, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.2%. The next largest groups are Black (9.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Thom
Among Census respondents with the surname Thom, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.2%. The next largest groups are Black (9.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Thom bearers 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 surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Thom surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White78.2% · 4,035
- Black or African American9.1% · 468
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.1% · 209
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 198
- Two or more races3.4% · 173
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.5% · 75
Timeline
Historical Census data for Thom
Thom appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#6,185
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,531
+274 bearers (+5.2%)
Per 100,000 1.88
Rank movement Down 161 places
2020
#6,338
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,158
-373 bearers (-6.7%)
Per 100,000 1.73
Rank movement Down 153 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,024 | 5,257 | 1.95 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,185 | 5,531 | 1.88 | +274 bearers (+5.2%) | Down 161 places |
| 2020 | #6,338 | 5,158 | 1.73 | -373 bearers (-6.7%) | Down 153 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Thom surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #6,185 | #6,338 | -2.5% |
| Count | 5,531 | 5,158 | -6.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.88 | 1.73 | -8.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Thom bearers went from 5,531 to 5,158 (-6.7% change). The surname moved down 153 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,185 to #6,338.
FAQ
Thom surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Thom?
Name Census estimates that about 5,915 living Americans carry the surname Thom. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 57,947 residents.
How common is Thom?
Thom ranks #6,338 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.73 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,158 people with the surname Thom. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,915), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.73 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.73 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Thom.
Has Thom become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Thom went from 5,531 recorded bearers to 5,158. That is a decrease of 373 (-6.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,185 to #6,338.
What does the Census say about the background of Thom?
Among Census respondents with the surname Thom, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.2%. The next largest groups are Black (9.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.1%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Thom in the 2020 Census, accounting for 78.2% (4,035 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Thom appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (78.2%), Black (9.1%), Asian/Pacific Islander (4.1%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Thom (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Thom mean?
Derived from the given name Thomas, which comes from the Aramaic for "twin." The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Thom (1.73 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the surname Thom?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.