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

Tooma, 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 Tooma surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Tooma in America

Tooma is the 121590th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Tooma surname appeared 142 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 Tooma.

We can also compare 2010 data for Tooma 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 Tooma

The surname TOOMA is believed to have originated from the Arabic language, with its roots tracing back to the Middle East region, specifically the Levant area comprising modern-day Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, and parts of Palestine. The earliest records of this surname can be traced back to the 12th century during the Crusades, when Arabic names and surnames were adopted by Europeans.

The name TOOMA is thought to be derived from the Arabic word "tum," which means "garlic." It is possible that the surname was initially given as a descriptive name to someone who cultivated or traded in garlic, or it may have been a nickname referring to a person's fondness for the aromatic herb.

One of the earliest known references to the surname TOOMA can be found in the historical records of the Mamluk Sultanate, which ruled over parts of the Levant and Egypt from the 13th to the 16th centuries. The name is mentioned in a document dated 1275, referring to a merchant named Yusuf ibn TOOMA, who traded spices and goods between Cairo and Damascus.

During the Ottoman Empire's rule over the Levant region in the 16th to 20th centuries, the surname TOOMA was commonly found among Arabic-speaking Christian communities, particularly in areas like Lebanon and Syria. Notable individuals bearing this surname include Mikhail TOOMA (1825-1901), a Lebanese writer and poet who played a significant role in the Nahda (Arab Renaissance) literary movement.

In the 19th century, the TOOMA surname made its way to the United States and other parts of the world through immigration from the Levant region. One of the earliest recorded individuals with this surname in America was Elias TOOMA (1838-1919), a Syrian immigrant who settled in New York and established a successful import business.

Other notable individuals with the surname TOOMA include:

1. Khalil TOOMA (1851-1928), a Syrian-American writer and journalist who founded one of the first Arabic-language newspapers in the United States.
2. Boutros TOOMA (1890-1964), a Lebanese journalist and political activist who advocated for Lebanese independence from French colonial rule.
3. Nasri TOOMA (1920-2005), a renowned Syrian calligrapher and artist who received numerous international awards for his work.
4. Elias TOOMA (1924-2010), a Lebanese-American engineer and entrepreneur who founded a successful construction company in the United States.
5. Nada TOOMA (born 1964), an Iraqi-American artist and sculptor known for her contemporary multimedia installations.

While the surname TOOMA has its origins in the Middle East, it has since spread across various parts of the world, carried by individuals and families who have migrated from the region over the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Tooma

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

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

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

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