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

Tom, 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 Tom surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Tom in America

Tom is the 3452nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Tom surname appeared 10,350 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 4 people would have the surname Tom.

We can also compare 2010 data for Tom 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 Tom

The surname TOM originated in England and is derived from the Old English word "tun" meaning an enclosure or a village. It is an ancient locational surname indicating someone who lived in or came from a particular town or village.

In the Domesday Book of 1086, a record of landowners in England compiled by order of William the Conqueror, there are numerous entries for places with the name Tun, such as Brightun (Brighton), Eltun (Elton), and Litlintun (Littlington).

One of the earliest recorded bearers of the surname TOM was Reginald de Tun, who is mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire in 1195. Other early examples include William de Tun, listed in the Curia Regis Rolls of Warwickshire in 1199, and Adam de Tun, recorded in the Assize Rolls of Yorkshire in 1219.

The surname TOM is also associated with various place names like Tunstall, derived from Old English "Tun" and "Stallr" meaning a wooden dwelling, and Tunbridge, from "Tun" and "Brycg" meaning a bridge.

Notable historical figures with the surname TOM include Sir George TOM (1585-1644), an English landowner and Member of Parliament for Bury St Edmunds. There was also Sir William TOM (1588-1658), an English courtier and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Ludgershall.

Other notable bearers of the surname TOM are James TOM (1719-1776), a Scottish minister and author known for his work "The Antiquities of St. Andrews," and John TOM (1804-1889), an English businessman and philanthropist who founded the TOM Institute in Westbury, Wiltshire.

Additionally, Robert TOM (1836-1910) was a Canadian businessman and politician who served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, representing West Middlesex.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Tom

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

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

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

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