2000
#6,406
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,894
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.81
Rare Last name
Tomas
A surname of Spanish and Portuguese origin, derived from the given name Thomas, meaning "twin."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 9,519 Americans carry the last name Tomas. That puts it at #4,143 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.78 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 36,007 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tomas 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 Tomas with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
9.5K
1 in 36,007
Census rank
#4,143
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,301 bearers of the surname Tomas in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.78 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4143rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tomas, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 60.5%. The next largest groups are White (20.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (12.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tomas
Among Census respondents with the surname Tomas, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 60.5%. The next largest groups are White (20.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (12.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Tomas 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 Tomas surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino60.5% · 5,018
- White20.8% · 1,725
- Asian and Pacific Islander12.4% · 1,031
- Black or African American4.1% · 340
- Two or more races1.9% · 155
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 32
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tomas
Tomas 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
#4,623
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,673
+2,779 bearers (+56.8%)
Per 100,000 2.60
Rank movement Up 1,783 places
2020
#4,143
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,301
+628 bearers (+8.2%)
Per 100,000 2.78
Rank movement Up 480 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,406 | 4,894 | 1.81 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,623 | 7,673 | 2.60 | +2,779 bearers (+56.8%) | Up 1,783 places |
| 2020 | #4,143 | 8,301 | 2.78 | +628 bearers (+8.2%) | Up 480 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 Tomas 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 | #4,623 | #4,143 | 10.4% |
| Count | 7,673 | 8,301 | 8.2% |
| Per 100K | 2.60 | 2.78 | 6.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tomas bearers went from 7,673 to 8,301 (+8.2% change). The surname moved up 480 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,623 to #4,143.
FAQ
Tomas surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tomas?
Name Census estimates that about 9,519 living Americans carry the surname Tomas. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 36,007 residents.
How common is Tomas?
Tomas ranks #4,143 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.78 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 8,301 people with the surname Tomas. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (9,519), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.78 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.78 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 Tomas.
Has Tomas become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tomas went from 7,673 recorded bearers to 8,301. That is an increase of 628 (+8.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #4,623 to #4,143.
What does the Census say about the background of Tomas?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tomas, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 60.5%. The next largest groups are White (20.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (12.4%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Tomas in the 2020 Census, accounting for 60.5% (5,018 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tomas appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (60.5%), White (20.8%), Asian/Pacific Islander (12.4%). 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 Tomas (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 Tomas mean?
A surname of Spanish and Portuguese origin, derived from the given name Thomas, meaning "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 Tomas (2.78 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 Americans have the surname Tomas?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.