2000
#6,542
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,779
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.77
Rare Last name
Toms
Derived from the given name Thomas, meaning "twin" in Aramaic, or referring to someone who was a twin.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,486 Americans carry the last name Toms. That puts it at #6,776 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.60 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 62,478 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Toms 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Toms with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.5K
1 in 62,478
Census rank
#6,776
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,784 bearers of the surname Toms in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.60 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6776th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Toms, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.2%. The next largest groups are Black (10.1%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Toms
The surname Toms has its origins in England, dating back to the medieval period. It is believed to be derived from the medieval English name Thomas, which itself comes from the Aramaic name "Te'oma" meaning "twin". The name Thomas was popular among Christians as it was the name of one of the apostles of Jesus Christ.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Toms can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Toma". This suggests that the surname was already in use by the late 11th century in England. The name was likely initially used as a patronymic, meaning "son of Thomas".
In the 13th century, records show the surname spelled as "Tommes" and "Tomes" in various parts of England, such as Yorkshire and Oxfordshire. These variations in spelling were common during this period due to the lack of standardized spelling conventions.
A notable figure bearing the surname Toms was John Toms (c. 1550-1644), an English writer and clergyman who served as the rector of Yelvertoft in Northamptonshire. Another early bearer of the name was Robert Toms (c. 1590-1672), an English politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1640 and 1648.
In the 16th and 17th centuries, the surname Toms could also be found in various place names across England, such as Toms Farm in Oxfordshire and Toms Hill in Somerset. These place names likely derived from individuals bearing the Toms surname who lived or owned land in those areas.
Other notable individuals with the surname Toms include William Toms (1788-1869), an English landscape painter known for his depictions of rural scenes, and Sir Barnes Toms (1809-1895), an English lawyer and judge who served as Lord Chief Justice of the Bahamas.
Throughout its history, the surname Toms has maintained a strong presence in England and has also spread to other parts of the world through migration and immigration. Its origins can be traced back to the medieval period, and it has been associated with various figures and locations across England over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Toms
Among Census respondents with the surname Toms, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.2%. The next largest groups are Black (10.1%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Toms 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 Toms surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White82.2% · 3,933
- Black or African American10.1% · 481
- Two or more races3.2% · 153
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 148
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 50
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 19
Timeline
Historical Census data for Toms
Toms 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
#6,764
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,986
+207 bearers (+4.3%)
Per 100,000 1.69
Rank movement Down 222 places
2020
#6,776
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,784
-202 bearers (-4.1%)
Per 100,000 1.60
Rank movement Down 12 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,542 | 4,779 | 1.77 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,764 | 4,986 | 1.69 | +207 bearers (+4.3%) | Down 222 places |
| 2020 | #6,776 | 4,784 | 1.60 | -202 bearers (-4.1%) | Down 12 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 Toms 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 | #6,764 | #6,776 | -0.2% |
| Count | 4,986 | 4,784 | -4.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.69 | 1.60 | -5.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Toms bearers went from 4,986 to 4,784 (-4.1% change). The surname moved down 12 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,764 to #6,776.
FAQ
Toms surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Toms?
Name Census estimates that about 5,486 living Americans carry the surname Toms. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 62,478 residents.
How common is Toms?
Toms ranks #6,776 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.60 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,784 people with the surname Toms. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,486), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.6 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.60 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Toms.
Has Toms become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Toms went from 4,986 recorded bearers to 4,784. That is a decrease of 202 (-4.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,764 to #6,776.
What does the Census say about the background of Toms?
Among Census respondents with the surname Toms, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.2%. The next largest groups are Black (10.1%) and Two or More Races (3.2%). 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 Toms in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.2% (3,933 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Toms appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (82.2%), Black (10.1%), Two or More Races (3.2%). 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 Toms (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 Toms mean?
Derived from the given name Thomas, meaning "twin" in Aramaic, or referring to someone who was a twin. 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 Toms (1.60 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 common is the surname Toms?
Find out how many Americans have the surname Toms on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.