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

Tomkins, 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 Tomkins surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Tomkins in America

Tomkins is the 20910th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Tomkins surname appeared 1,260 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 Tomkins.

We can also compare 2010 data for Tomkins 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 Tomkins

The surname Tomkins has its origins in England, tracing back to the late 12th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old English personal name "Toma" or "Thoma," which was a diminutive form of Thomas. The suffix "-kin" was added to denote familiarity or endearment, creating the name Toma-kin or Thoma-kin.

The earliest known written record of the name appears in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1198, where it is listed as "Tomekin." Over time, the spelling evolved to Tomkins, with variations such as Tomkin, Tomkyn, and Tompkins appearing in various historical documents.

In the Hundred Rolls of 1273, several individuals bearing the name Tomkins are mentioned, including William Tomkyn of Oxfordshire and John Tomkyn of Berkshire. These records provide evidence of the name's widespread use across different regions of England during the medieval period.

One notable early bearer of the name was Sir Roger Tomkins (c. 1330-1391), a prominent Welsh landowner and soldier who served under Edward, the Black Prince. He was appointed as the Steward of the Lordship of Denbigh and played a significant role in the Wars of the Roses.

Another historical figure was Nathaniel Tomkins (1584-1681), an English clergyman and academic who served as the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford from 1626 to 1630. He was also the author of several theological works.

In the 17th century, Thomas Tomkins (1572-1656) was a renowned English composer and organist, known for his contributions to the English madrigal tradition and his sacred music compositions.

Giles Tomkins (c. 1667-1718) was a British naval captain who served in the Royal Navy during the early 18th century and played a role in several notable battles, including the Battle of Vigo Bay in 1702.

William Tomkins (1730-1792) was a prominent English architect and surveyor, responsible for designing several notable buildings in London, including the Old Bethlem Royal Hospital and the West India Docks.

These examples illustrate the long-standing presence of the Tomkins surname in various fields, ranging from military service and academia to music and architecture, throughout the centuries in England and the broader British Isles.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Tomkins

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

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

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

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