2000
#3,405
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,629
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.57
Uncommon Last name
Tom
A surname of Aramaic origin meaning "twin," or referring to someone who was a twin.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 11,885 Americans carry the last name Tom. That puts it at #3,376 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.47 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 28,839 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tom 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 Tom with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
12K
1 in 28,839
Census rank
#3,376
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
10K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 10,364 bearers of the surname Tom in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.47 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3376th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tom, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 50.5%. The next largest groups are White (17.9%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (16.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tom
Among Census respondents with the surname Tom, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 50.5%. The next largest groups are White (17.9%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (16.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Tom 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 Tom surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander50.5% · 5,238
- White17.9% · 1,854
- American Indian and Alaska Native16.6% · 1,719
- Two or more races8.3% · 864
- Hispanic or Latino4.1% · 424
- Black or African American2.6% · 265
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tom
Tom 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
#3,452
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,350
+721 bearers (+7.5%)
Per 100,000 3.51
Rank movement Down 47 places
2020
#3,376
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,364
+14 bearers (+0.1%)
Per 100,000 3.47
Rank movement Up 76 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,405 | 9,629 | 3.57 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,452 | 10,350 | 3.51 | +721 bearers (+7.5%) | Down 47 places |
| 2020 | #3,376 | 10,364 | 3.47 | +14 bearers (+0.1%) | Up 76 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 Tom 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 | #3,452 | #3,376 | 2.2% |
| Count | 10,350 | 10,364 | 0.1% |
| Per 100K | 3.51 | 3.47 | -1.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tom bearers went from 10,350 to 10,364 (+0.1% change). The surname moved up 76 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,452 to #3,376.
FAQ
Tom surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tom?
Name Census estimates that about 11,885 living Americans carry the surname Tom. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 28,839 residents.
How common is Tom?
Tom ranks #3,376 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.47 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 10,364 people with the surname Tom. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (11,885), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.47 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.47 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Tom.
Has Tom become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tom went from 10,350 recorded bearers to 10,364. That is an increase of 14 (+0.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #3,452 to #3,376.
What does the Census say about the background of Tom?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tom, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 50.5%. The next largest groups are White (17.9%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (16.6%). 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Tom in the 2020 Census, accounting for 50.5% (5,238 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tom appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (50.5%), White (17.9%), American Indian/Alaska Native (16.6%). 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 Tom (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 Tom mean?
A surname of Aramaic origin meaning "twin," or referring to someone who was a 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 Tom (3.47 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 Tom?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.