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

Tomaz, 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 Tomaz surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Tomaz in America

Tomaz is the 93921st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Tomaz surname appeared 195 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Tomaz.

We can also compare 2010 data for Tomaz 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 Tomaz

The surname Tomaz is believed to have originated in Portugal during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Portuguese form of the biblical name Thomas, which itself comes from the Aramaic word for "twin."

Tomaz was initially a personal name given to children, with the surname form emerging later as a patronymic, meaning "son of Thomas." The earliest known records of the name date back to the 13th century, appearing in various Portuguese historical documents and manuscripts.

One notable early bearer of the surname was Fernão Tomaz, a 14th-century Portuguese explorer who is credited with discovering the island of Madeira in 1418. He was later appointed as the first captain-general of the newly discovered territory.

Another significant figure was António Tomaz, a 16th-century Portuguese nobleman and military commander who served as the Governor of Portuguese India from 1572 to 1576. He played a crucial role in defending Portuguese possessions in the region against Dutch and Arab forces.

In the 17th century, the surname Tomaz was associated with the town of Tomar, home to the iconic Convent of Christ, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The town's name is believed to have influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname in that region.

One of the most notable bearers of the name was João Tomaz, a Portuguese architect and military engineer who lived in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. He was responsible for designing and overseeing the construction of several fortifications and public buildings throughout Portugal and its overseas territories.

In the 19th century, Júlio Tomaz Lopes, a Portuguese poet and writer, gained recognition for his contributions to the romantic literary movement in Portugal. He was born in 1836 and his works explored themes of love, nature, and national identity.

As the surname Tomaz spread beyond Portugal, it encountered various spellings and variations in other regions and languages. For instance, in Spain, it became Tomás, while in Brazil, it is commonly spelled as Tomaz or Thomaz.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Tomaz

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

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

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

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