2000
#6,746
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,606
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.71
Rare Last name
Thomasson
Son of Thomas, an English patronymic surname derived from the popular medieval given name Thomas.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,041 Americans carry the last name Thomasson. That puts it at #7,306 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.47 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 67,993 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Thomasson 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 Thomasson with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.0K
1 in 67,993
Census rank
#7,306
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,396 bearers of the surname Thomasson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.47 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7306th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Thomasson, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.6%. The next largest groups are Black (7.1%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Thomasson
The surname Thomasson has its origins in England and Scotland, deriving from the patronymic form of the personal name Thomas. It is believed to have emerged in the late 12th or early 13th century, particularly in the northern counties of England and the Scottish Lowlands.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1230, where it appears as "Tomasson." This spelling variation reflects the transition from the Old English "Tomas" to the more modern "Thomas."
In Scotland, the name Thomasson is thought to have originated in the Scottish Borders region, where it was commonly used among families in the counties of Roxburghshire and Berwickshire. In the 14th century, a John Thomasson is mentioned in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland as a landowner in the village of Lethbert.
The surname Thomasson has also been linked to various place names, such as Thomastown in County Kilkenny, Ireland, and Thomaskirk in Northumberland, England. These place names may have influenced the development of the surname in certain regions.
Notable individuals bearing the Thomasson surname include Robert Thomasson (1622-1694), an English Quaker minister and author; James Thomasson (1805-1876), a Scottish inventor and engineer known for his contributions to the development of the steam engine; and William Thomasson (1841-1912), a British architect responsible for designing several notable buildings in London.
Another individual of note is Gertrude Thomasson (1867-1959), an American painter and printmaker who was part of the Arts and Crafts movement in the early 20th century. Additionally, John Thomasson (1908-1994) was a Canadian politician who served as a member of the House of Commons of Canada.
While the Thomasson surname has evolved over time, its origins can be traced back to the medieval period in England and Scotland, where it emerged as a patronymic form of the personal name Thomas. The name has been associated with various historical records, place names, and notable individuals throughout its long history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Thomasson
Among Census respondents with the surname Thomasson, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.6%. The next largest groups are Black (7.1%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Thomasson 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 Thomasson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.6% · 3,676
- Black or African American7.1% · 312
- Two or more races4.5% · 197
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 141
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 40
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 30
Timeline
Historical Census data for Thomasson
Thomasson 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
#6,926
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,844
+238 bearers (+5.2%)
Per 100,000 1.64
Rank movement Down 180 places
2020
#7,306
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,396
-448 bearers (-9.2%)
Per 100,000 1.47
Rank movement Down 380 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,746 | 4,606 | 1.71 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,926 | 4,844 | 1.64 | +238 bearers (+5.2%) | Down 180 places |
| 2020 | #7,306 | 4,396 | 1.47 | -448 bearers (-9.2%) | Down 380 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 Thomasson 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 | #6,926 | #7,306 | -5.5% |
| Count | 4,844 | 4,396 | -9.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.64 | 1.47 | -10.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Thomasson bearers went from 4,844 to 4,396 (-9.2% change). The surname moved down 380 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,926 to #7,306.
FAQ
Thomasson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Thomasson?
Name Census estimates that about 5,041 living Americans carry the surname Thomasson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 67,993 residents.
How common is Thomasson?
Thomasson ranks #7,306 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.47 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,396 people with the surname Thomasson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,041), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.47 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.47 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Thomasson.
Has Thomasson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Thomasson went from 4,844 recorded bearers to 4,396. That is a decrease of 448 (-9.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,926 to #7,306.
What does the Census say about the background of Thomasson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Thomasson, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.6%. The next largest groups are Black (7.1%) and Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Thomasson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.6% (3,676 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Thomasson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.6%), Black (7.1%), Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Thomasson (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 Thomasson mean?
Son of Thomas, an English patronymic surname derived from the popular medieval given name Thomas. 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 Thomasson (1.47 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 share the surname Thomasson?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.