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

Tomko, 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 Tomko surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Tomko in America

Tomko is the 11589th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Tomko surname appeared 2,710 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 Tomko.

We can also compare 2010 data for Tomko 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 Tomko

The surname Tomko is believed to have originated in Slovakia, a country located in Central Europe. Its roots can be traced back to the 15th century, when it was likely derived from the Slavic personal name Tomáš, which itself is a variant of the name Thomas.

In its earliest recorded instances, the name was often spelled as Tomko or Tomkov, with the latter being a patronymic form indicating "son of Tomko." The name's presence can be found in various historical records from the region, such as church registers and municipal documents.

One notable early reference to the name Tomko can be found in the "Urbár" (land register) of Bratislava, dating back to the 16th century. This document recorded the names of landowners and tenants, providing valuable insight into the regional distribution of surnames during that time period.

The first recorded individual with the surname Tomko was Jan Tomko, born around 1450 in the village of Ružomberok, located in the northern part of present-day Slovakia. He was a farmer and landowner, and his descendants continued to use the surname in the region for generations.

Another early bearer of the Tomko name was Michal Tomko, born in the late 15th century in the town of Žilina. He was a prominent merchant and guild member, and his name appears in various trade records from the time.

In the 17th century, the Tomko surname gained further recognition with the birth of Juraj Tomko (1592-1672), a renowned Slovak poet and writer. His works, which included religious poetry and translations of classical texts, played a significant role in the development of Slovak literature.

Moving into the 19th century, we find Ján Tomko (1810-1887), a Slovak Catholic priest and historian. He authored several important works on the history of Slovakia and the Slovak language, contributing greatly to the preservation of Slovak cultural heritage.

Another notable figure was Samuel Tomko (1866-1934), a Slovak politician and lawyer who served as a member of the Hungarian parliament, representing the interests of Slovaks within the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

Throughout its history, the Tomko surname has maintained a strong presence in Slovakia and neighboring regions, with various branches of the family embracing diverse professions and contributing to the cultural, political, and intellectual spheres of their respective eras.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Tomko

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

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

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

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