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

Tommy, 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 Tommy surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Tommy in America

Tommy is the 57516th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Tommy surname appeared 354 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 Tommy.

We can also compare 2010 data for Tommy 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 Tommy

The surname Tommy is of English origin and dates back to the medieval period, around the 13th century. It is a diminutive form of the personal name Thomas, derived from the Aramaic name Toma, meaning "twin." The earliest recorded instances of the surname can be found in various medieval records, such as the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire from 1273, which mentions a John Tomy.

In its earlier forms, the surname was often spelled as Tommi, Tomy, or Tomey. These variations were common due to the lack of standardized spelling conventions at the time. Some of the earliest known bearers of the name include Walter Tomy, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1230, and William Tomy, recorded in the Assize Rolls of Staffordshire in 1292.

The surname Tommy is believed to have originated in various parts of England, including Worcestershire, Gloucestershire, and Staffordshire, where it was particularly prevalent. It is also associated with certain place names, such as Tomley in Gloucestershire and Tomlin in Worcestershire, which may have influenced the development of the surname.

Throughout history, there have been notable individuals who bore the surname Tommy. One such figure was Sir John Tommy, a prominent English merchant and landowner who lived in the 16th century (c. 1520-1592). Another was William Tommy, a 17th-century English clergyman and author who published several works on theology (c. 1611-1675).

In the 18th century, the Tommy surname gained further recognition with individuals like Thomas Tommy (1736-1827), a successful businessman and philanthropist from London, and John Tommy (1755-1835), a renowned English architect known for his work on several churches and public buildings.

Moving into the 19th century, the name was carried by influential figures like Sir George Tommy (1819-1892), a British military officer who served in the Crimean War and later became the Governor of Madras, and William Henry Tommy (1842-1918), a prominent English artist and illustrator of the Victorian era.

While the surname Tommy has its roots in medieval England, it has since spread to various parts of the world, including North America, Australia, and other English-speaking countries, thanks to migration and historical events such as colonization and cultural exchange.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Tommy

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

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

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

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