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

Tome, 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 Tome surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Tome in America

Tome is the 14787th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Tome surname appeared 2,007 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Tome.

We can also compare 2010 data for Tome 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 Tome

The surname Tome has its origins in Portugal, with the first recorded instances dating back to the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Latin word "tomus," meaning a section or part of a book. This suggests that the name may have been initially associated with individuals involved in the copying, binding, or selling of books and manuscripts.

During the Middle Ages, the name Tome appeared in various Portuguese records and documents, including several mentions in the "Livro Velho" (Old Book) of the Porto Cathedral, which dates back to the late 13th century. One of the earliest documented individuals with this surname was João Tome, a scribe who lived in the city of Coimbra in the 14th century.

As Portugal expanded its colonial empire, the surname Tome spread to other regions, including Brazil and parts of Africa. In the 16th century, records show a Portuguese navigator named Tomé Lopes who accompanied Vasco da Gama on his voyages to India. Another notable figure was Tomé Pires, a Portuguese apothecary and writer who authored the "Suma Oriental," an important work on the East Indies and its trade routes, in the early 16th century.

In Brazil, one of the earliest individuals with the surname Tome was Sebastião Tome, a landowner and farmer who settled in the state of Bahia in the late 16th century. His descendants played a significant role in the region's agricultural development.

During the 17th and 18th centuries, the surname Tome appeared in various historical records across Portugal and its colonies. One notable individual was Manuel Tome, a Portuguese architect who designed several churches and buildings in Lisbon and other cities in the late 17th century.

In the 19th century, a Brazilian politician and lawyer named Tomé de Sousa Ramos gained prominence for his advocacy of abolitionism and his efforts to end slavery in Brazil. He was born in 1817 and played a crucial role in the abolition movement until his death in 1892.

Throughout its history, the surname Tome has been associated with individuals from various professions, including writers, artists, scholars, and politicians. While not as widespread as some other Portuguese surnames, it has left its mark on the cultural and historical landscape of Portugal and the regions influenced by Portuguese colonization.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Tome

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

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

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

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