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

Touma, 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 Touma surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Touma in America

Touma is the 31960th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Touma surname appeared 722 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 Touma.

We can also compare 2010 data for Touma 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 Touma

The surname TOUMA has its origins in the Middle East, specifically in the region of modern-day Lebanon and Syria. It is believed to have emerged during the 12th or 13th century, derived from the Arabic word "tawm," meaning "garlic." This suggests that the name may have originally been associated with individuals involved in the cultivation or trade of garlic.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname TOUMA can be found in the Mamluk-era documents from the 14th century, where it appears in various spellings, such as "Tawma" and "Tawmah." These records indicate that the name was prevalent among families residing in the coastal regions of Lebanon and Syria.

In the 16th century, the name is mentioned in Ottoman tax registers, which provide valuable insights into the distribution of TOUMA families across the region. These documents suggest that the name was particularly concentrated in the areas around Tripoli, Lebanon, and the Syrian city of Homs.

The TOUMA surname has been associated with several notable figures throughout history. One of the earliest known individuals bearing this name was Yusuf Touma, a prominent merchant who lived in Tripoli, Lebanon, during the late 16th century. He is mentioned in various trade records and accounts of the time.

Another significant figure was Ibrahim Touma, a scholar and poet who lived in Damascus in the 17th century. His works, which include poetry and religious texts, have been preserved and studied by scholars of Arabic literature.

In the 19th century, the TOUMA name gained prominence with Michel Touma, a Lebanese academic and writer born in 1825. His works on history, literature, and philosophy were widely acclaimed, and he is considered one of the most influential intellectuals of the Arab Renaissance period.

The name TOUMA also appears in the historical records of the Shams family, a prominent Melkite Greek Catholic clan from Lebanon. One of their ancestors, Yusuf Touma Shams, served as the Melkite Greek Catholic Patriarch of Antioch from 1759 to 1768.

In more recent times, the TOUMA surname has been associated with individuals like Habib Touma, a renowned Lebanese composer and musicologist born in 1924. His contributions to the preservation and study of Arabic music have been widely recognized throughout the Middle East and beyond.

While the TOUMA surname may have originated in a specific geographic region, it has since spread across the world, carried by generations of individuals and families who have migrated to various countries and continents. However, its roots can be traced back to the rich cultural and historical tapestry of the Middle East, where it first emerged as a name associated with the trade and cultivation of garlic.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Touma

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

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

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

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