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

Tomas, 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 Tomas surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Tomas in America

Tomas is the 4623rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Tomas surname appeared 7,673 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname Tomas.

We can also compare 2010 data for Tomas 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 Tomas

The surname Tomas has its origins in the Iberian Peninsula, specifically in Spain and Portugal, where it emerged in the early medieval period. It is derived from the given name Tomás, which is the Spanish and Portuguese form of the Biblical name Thomas, meaning "twin" in Aramaic.

Tomas was a relatively common surname in Spain and Portugal during the Middle Ages, and it can be found in various historical records from that time period. Some of the earliest recorded instances of the name date back to the 12th and 13th centuries, appearing in documents such as parish registers and tax records.

The surname Tomas is often associated with the Spanish region of Galicia, where it has deep roots and a long history. In the 14th century, a notable figure named Tomás Rodríguez de Toro (c. 1310-1380) was a prominent jurist and legal scholar from Galicia who served as a judge in the court of King Alfonso XI.

Another early bearer of the surname Tomas was Tomás de Villanueva (1486-1555), a Spanish friar and Catholic saint who was born in Villanueva de los Infantes, Castile. He was known for his charitable works and his efforts to assist the poor and underprivileged.

In the 16th century, the explorer Tomás de Berlanga (c. 1490-1551) led several expeditions to the Pacific coast of Mexico and Central America, and he is credited with being one of the first Europeans to map parts of the Gulf of California.

During the 17th century, Tomás de Torquemada (1420-1498) was a Spanish Dominican friar who gained notoriety as the first Grand Inquisitor of the Spanish Inquisition. He played a significant role in the persecution of Jews and Muslims in Spain during that period.

Tomás Antonio Sánchez (1723-1798) was a Spanish priest and educator who gained recognition for his work in the field of moral theology. He was known for his influential treatise "De Sancto Matrimonii Sacramento," which addressed various aspects of marriage and family life.

Over the centuries, the surname Tomas has spread from its Iberian roots to other parts of the world, carried by Spanish and Portuguese immigrants and their descendants. While it remains most prevalent in Spain, Portugal, and Latin American countries with Spanish or Portuguese heritage, it can be found in various regions around the globe.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Tomas

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

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

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

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