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

Thoms, 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 Thoms surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Thoms in America

Thoms is the 10191st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Thoms surname appeared 3,162 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Thoms.

We can also compare 2010 data for Thoms 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 Thoms

The surname Thoms is believed to have originated in Germany and is a variation of the name Thomas. It is derived from the Aramaic name Ta'oma, meaning "twin." The name Thomas became popular in Europe after the spread of Christianity and the veneration of St. Thomas the Apostle.

In the early medieval period, Thoms was a common name in the regions of modern-day Germany and the Netherlands. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name dates back to the 13th century, where a "Johannes Thoms" is mentioned in a Frisian manuscript from the year 1244.

The Thoms surname is also found in historical records from the 14th century, including a reference to a "Henricus Thoms" in a land deed from the town of Cologne in 1371. This suggests that the name was well-established in the region at the time.

As the name spread across Europe, it took on various spellings and forms, such as Toms, Tommes, and Thomsen. In some areas, the name was also associated with place names, such as Thomasdorf (meaning "Thomas' village") in Germany and Thomastown in Ireland.

Notable individuals with the surname Thoms throughout history include:

1. Johannes Thoms (c. 1290-1360), a German theologian and philosopher who taught at the University of Paris.
2. Willem Thoms (1548-1616), a Dutch cartographer and explorer who accompanied the first Dutch expedition to Indonesia.
3. Thomas Thoms (1709-1778), an English bookseller and publisher known for his work on Shakespeare's plays.
4. George Thoms (1789-1857), a Scottish lawyer and antiquarian who served as the first principal keeper of the Public Records of Scotland.
5. William Thoms (1803-1885), an English writer and folklorist who is credited with coining the term "folklore" in 1846.

While the surname Thoms may have originated in Germany, it has since spread to other parts of Europe and beyond, with variations in spelling and pronunciation reflecting local linguistic and cultural influences.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Thoms

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

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

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

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