2000
#9,279
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,229
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.20
Rare Last name
Toma
A Romanian surname derived from the word "toma," meaning "twin" or referring to the Biblical apostle Thomas.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,316 Americans carry the last name Toma. That puts it at #6,985 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.55 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 64,476 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Toma 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 Toma with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.3K
1 in 64,476
Census rank
#6,985
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,636 bearers of the surname Toma in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.55 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6985th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Toma, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.9%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (10.5%) and Hispanic (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Toma
The surname TOMA has its origins in Italy, with records dating back to the 14th century. It is believed to be derived from the Italian word "toma," which refers to a type of cheese, suggesting that the name may have been given to someone involved in the production or trade of this particular cheese.
In the late 14th century, the name TOMA appeared in various Italian records, including the census records of the town of Montalcino in Tuscany. One of the earliest recorded bearers of this name was Domenico Toma, a cheesemaker from the village of Pienza, whose birth year is estimated to be around 1370.
The TOMA surname can also be traced back to the Piedmont region of northwestern Italy, where it is thought to have originated from the place name "Toma," a small village located near the city of Cuneo. This connection to a specific location further strengthens the theory that the name was initially associated with a particular geographic area.
Throughout the centuries, the TOMA surname has been documented in various historical records and manuscripts. One notable example is the inclusion of the name in the "Codice Diplomatico Longobardo," a collection of documents from the Lombard period in Italy, dating back to the 8th and 9th centuries.
Among the notable individuals who bore the TOMA surname throughout history are:
1. Matteo Toma (1502-1572), an Italian mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the field of cartography.
2. Giovanni Battista Toma (1670-1737), an Italian painter and architect known for his work in the Baroque style.
3. Francesco Toma (1802-1876), an Italian politician and lawyer who served as the Minister of Justice in the Kingdom of Sardinia.
4. Vincenzo Toma (1870-1945), an Italian composer and conductor who composed several operas and orchestral works.
5. Elisa Toma (1910-1993), an Italian writer and poet whose works explored themes of love, loss, and the human condition.
While the TOMA surname may have evolved and spread to other parts of the world over time, its roots can be traced back to the Italian peninsula, where it has a rich history spanning centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Toma
Among Census respondents with the surname Toma, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.9%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (10.5%) and Hispanic (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Toma 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 Toma surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White81.9% · 3,796
- Asian and Pacific Islander10.5% · 489
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 163
- Two or more races3.4% · 157
- Black or African American0.6% · 28
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Toma
Toma 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
#7,558
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,399
+1,170 bearers (+36.2%)
Per 100,000 1.49
Rank movement Up 1,721 places
2020
#6,985
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,636
+237 bearers (+5.4%)
Per 100,000 1.55
Rank movement Up 573 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,279 | 3,229 | 1.20 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,558 | 4,399 | 1.49 | +1,170 bearers (+36.2%) | Up 1,721 places |
| 2020 | #6,985 | 4,636 | 1.55 | +237 bearers (+5.4%) | Up 573 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 Toma 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 | #7,558 | #6,985 | 7.6% |
| Count | 4,399 | 4,636 | 5.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.49 | 1.55 | 4.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Toma bearers went from 4,399 to 4,636 (+5.4% change). The surname moved up 573 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,558 to #6,985.
FAQ
Toma surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Toma?
Name Census estimates that about 5,316 living Americans carry the surname Toma. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 64,476 residents.
How common is Toma?
Toma ranks #6,985 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.55 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,636 people with the surname Toma. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,316), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.55 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.55 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Toma.
Has Toma become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Toma went from 4,399 recorded bearers to 4,636. That is an increase of 237 (+5.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #7,558 to #6,985.
What does the Census say about the background of Toma?
Among Census respondents with the surname Toma, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.9%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (10.5%) and Hispanic (3.5%). 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 Toma in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.9% (3,796 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Toma appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (81.9%), Asian/Pacific Islander (10.5%), Hispanic (3.5%). 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 Toma (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 Toma mean?
A Romanian surname derived from the word "toma," meaning "twin" or referring to the Biblical apostle 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 Toma (1.55 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 common is the surname Toma?
Want to know how many people have the surname Toma? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.