2000
#9,916
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,002
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.11
Rare Last name
Thoms
Derived from the given name Thomas, meaning "twin" in Aramaic.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,605 Americans carry the last name Thoms. That puts it at #9,823 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.05 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 95,077 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Thoms 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 Thoms with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.6K
1 in 95,077
Census rank
#9,823
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,144 bearers of the surname Thoms in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.05 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9823rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Thoms, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.3%. The next largest groups are Black (9.0%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Thoms
Among Census respondents with the surname Thoms, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.3%. The next largest groups are Black (9.0%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Thoms 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 Thoms surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White81.3% · 2,556
- Black or African American9.0% · 283
- Two or more races4.3% · 135
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 111
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 33
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 26
Timeline
Historical Census data for Thoms
Thoms 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
#10,191
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,162
+160 bearers (+5.3%)
Per 100,000 1.07
Rank movement Down 275 places
2020
#9,823
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,144
-18 bearers (-0.6%)
Per 100,000 1.05
Rank movement Up 368 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,916 | 3,002 | 1.11 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,191 | 3,162 | 1.07 | +160 bearers (+5.3%) | Down 275 places |
| 2020 | #9,823 | 3,144 | 1.05 | -18 bearers (-0.6%) | Up 368 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 Thoms 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 | #10,191 | #9,823 | 3.6% |
| Count | 3,162 | 3,144 | -0.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.07 | 1.05 | -1.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Thoms bearers went from 3,162 to 3,144 (-0.6% change). The surname moved up 368 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,191 to #9,823.
FAQ
Thoms surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Thoms?
Name Census estimates that about 3,605 living Americans carry the surname Thoms. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 95,077 residents.
How common is Thoms?
Thoms ranks #9,823 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.05 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 3,144 people with the surname Thoms. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,605), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.05 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.05 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 Thoms.
Has Thoms become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Thoms went from 3,162 recorded bearers to 3,144. That is a decrease of 18 (-0.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #10,191 to #9,823.
What does the Census say about the background of Thoms?
Among Census respondents with the surname Thoms, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.3%. The next largest groups are Black (9.0%) and Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Thoms in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.3% (2,556 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Thoms appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (81.3%), Black (9.0%), Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Thoms (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 Thoms mean?
Derived from the given name Thomas, meaning "twin" in Aramaic. 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 Thoms (1.05 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 last name Thoms?
Find out how many people are called Thoms on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.