2000
#15,661
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,713
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.64
Rare Last name
Tome
A French occupational surname for a scholar, clerk, or scribe, derived from the Old French word "tome" meaning "book."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,229 Americans carry the last name Tome. That puts it at #14,681 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.65 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 153,770 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tome 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.
Bearers in the US
2.2K
1 in 153,770
Census rank
#14,681
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,944 bearers of the surname Tome in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.65 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14681st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tome, the largest self-reported group is White at 56.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (32.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (5.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tome
Among Census respondents with the surname Tome, the largest self-reported group is White at 56.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (32.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (5.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Tome 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 Tome surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White56.8% · 1,105
- Hispanic or Latino32.9% · 640
- Asian and Pacific Islander5.3% · 103
- Two or more races2.1% · 40
- Black or African American1.8% · 35
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.1% · 21
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tome
Tome 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
#14,787
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,007
+294 bearers (+17.2%)
Per 100,000 0.68
Rank movement Up 874 places
2020
#14,681
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,944
-63 bearers (-3.1%)
Per 100,000 0.65
Rank movement Up 106 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #15,661 | 1,713 | 0.64 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,787 | 2,007 | 0.68 | +294 bearers (+17.2%) | Up 874 places |
| 2020 | #14,681 | 1,944 | 0.65 | -63 bearers (-3.1%) | Up 106 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 Tome 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 | #14,787 | #14,681 | 0.7% |
| Count | 2,007 | 1,944 | -3.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.68 | 0.65 | -4.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tome bearers went from 2,007 to 1,944 (-3.1% change). The surname moved up 106 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,787 to #14,681.
FAQ
Tome surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tome?
Name Census estimates that about 2,229 living Americans carry the surname Tome. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 153,770 residents.
How common is Tome?
Tome ranks #14,681 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.65 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,944 people with the surname Tome. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,229), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.65 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.65 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Tome.
Has Tome become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tome went from 2,007 recorded bearers to 1,944. That is a decrease of 63 (-3.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #14,787 to #14,681.
What does the Census say about the background of Tome?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tome, the largest self-reported group is White at 56.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (32.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (5.3%). 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 Tome in the 2020 Census, accounting for 56.8% (1,105 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tome appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (56.8%), Hispanic (32.9%), Asian/Pacific Islander (5.3%). 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 Tome (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 Tome mean?
A French occupational surname for a scholar, clerk, or scribe, derived from the Old French word "tome" meaning "book." 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 Tome (0.65 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 people have the last name Tome?
Find out how many people are called Tome on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.