Thomas
Thomas Origin and Meaning
A solid classic with plenty of history, Thomas strikes the balance between strength and gentleness. A favorite in the UK, a staple in France, and Australia, and never absent from the US Top 100, Thomas feels like a safe bet and a name that fits into any era.
The Greek form of the Aramaic name Ta’oma, Thomas means “twin.” It came about in the Bible because there were too many apostles called Judas, and so, Thomas became the “twin”, to reflect his close brotherhood with Jesus.
Known as “Doubting Thomas” due to his initial skepticism of Jesus’s resurrection, he went on to become a martyr, and there was no need to doubt Thomas’s potential as a given name.
Brought into common usage by the Normans, it was then always among the 5 most common English names for boys at any point between the 13th and 19th century.
While it has fallen down the US charts in recent years, it remains a familiar and trusted choice. Given to over 6000 boys every year, it has made a steady climb back into the Top 50.
Across the pond in the UK, both Thomas and Tommy make the Top 30, while Tom, Tommy-Lee and Tommie have made their mark in the Top 1000.
As a well-established classic, Thomas naturally comes with plenty of noteworthy namesakes. “Thomas the Tank Engine” might appeal to you kids, but there’s also the theologian, Sir Thomas Aquinas, the cardinal Thomas Wolsey, the Founding Father, Thomas Jefferson. the philosopher, Thomas Hobbes, and the writer, Thomas Hardy.
More recent namesakes for those who aren’t into history include actors Tom Hardy, Tom Cruise, and Tom Hiddleston, singers Tom Parker and Tom Fletcher, Olympic diver Tom Daley, and Thomas Sanders, of YouTube fame.
A timeless all-rounder, Thomas comes with the intuitive nicknames, Tommy and Tom, which feel sweet for a child but not too cutesy for a grown-up. For more unexpected options, you could try the nature-inspired Moss or Scottish Tam.
Unlikely to go out of style anytime soon, Thomas is a refined but approachable choice. If the popularity does give you pause, however, you could try the surname-inspired Thompson, or an underused classic like Marius, Rufus, or Phinneas.
Alternatively, there is a wealth of interesting variants to ponder, from Italian Tommaso and Scottish Tavish to Croatian Tomo– and for girls, there’s Thomasina, Tomine and Tamsin.
- Thomas Rank in US Top 1000
- Thomas Rank in Nameberry Top 1000
- Names Similar to Thomas
- Famous People Named Thomas
- Thomas in Pop Culture
- Thomas in Nameberry Blog Posts
- Thomas in Nameberry Forums
Thomas Rank in US Top 1000
Thomas Rank in Nameberry Top 1000
Thomas Popularity
- 41US2023
- 65Nameberry2024
- 8Canada2023
- 81Future2028
- 19England2022
- 16Scotland2023
- 18Ireland2023
- 11Australia2023
- 18New Zealand2023
- 85France2021
- 165Germany2016
- 26Netherlands2023
- 34Italy2022
- 99Belgium2023
- 106Switzerland2023
- 54Austria2019
- 44Chile2021
- 95Cats2022
20 Names Similar to Thomas
Famous People Named Thomas
- (Stephen) ThomasKing of Bosnia
- Thomas the SlavByzantine military commander
- Thomas of BayeuxArchbishop of York
- Thomas a BecketArchbishop of Canterbury
- Thomas AquinasItalian theologian
- Thomas WolseyEnglish cardinal under Henry VIII
- Thomas MoreEnglish author, philosopher and statesman
- Thomas CranmerArchbishop of Canterbury
- Thomas Jefferson3rd U.S. president and Founding Father
- Thomas PaineAmerican Revolutionary patriot
- Thomas McDonaghIrish revolutionary leader and signatory
- Thomas "Tom" ClarkeIrish revolutionary leader and signatory
- Thomas HobbesBritish philosopher
- Thomas Carmichael Hindman Jr.U.S. Congressman and Civil War general
- Thomas "Tad" Lincolnson of U.S. President Abraham Lincoln
- Thomas Alva EdisonAmerican inventor
- Thomas Cruise Mapother IVbirth name of Tom Cruise, American actor
- Thomas Riley Marshall28th U.S. Vice President
- Thomas Francis Bayard30th U.S. Secretary of State
- Thomas Stearns "T.S." EliotAmerican,British poet
- Thomas John "Tom" BrokawAmerican television journalist
- Edward Thomas "Tom" HardyEnglish actor
- Thomas Robert "Tom" DaleyEnglish Olympic Diver
- (Christopher) Thomas HowellAmerican actor
- Thomas Andrew "Tom" FeltonEnglish actor
- Thomas Playford33rd Premier of South Australia
- Thomas Erdelyibirth name of Tommy Ramone, Hungarian,American drummer of The Ramones
- Thomas Gregory Jacksonbirth name of Tommy James, American lead singer of The Shondells
- Thomas Michael "Tom" Fletcherlead singer of English band McFly
- Thomas Carlyle "Tom" FordAmerican fashion designer
- Thomas Ellis GibsonAmerican actor
- Thomas Jeffrey "Tom" HanksAmerican actor
- Thomas William "Tom" HiddlestonEnglish actor
- Thomas Stanley "Tom" HollandEnglish actor
- Thomas KretschmannGerman actor
- Thomas MooreIrish poet
- Thomas MullerGerman footballer
- Thomas Ian NicholasAmerican actor/musician
- Thomas Anthony "Tom" Parkersinger of British band The Wanted
- Thomas Earl "Tom" PettyAmerican singer,songwriter
- Thomas RhettAmerican country music singer
- Thomas Ruggles PynchonAmerican novelist
- Thomas Edward "Tom" SizemoreAmerican actor
- Thomas James "Tommy" TuneAmerican actor, singer, and dancer
- Thomas John Patrick "Tom" WellingAmerican actor
- Thomas Joseph "T.J." ThyneAmerican actor
- Thomas SadoskiAmerican actor
- Thomas Albert Victor aka Tommaso Alberto Vittorio)Prince of Savoy, Duke of Genoa
- Thomas Geoffrey "Tom" WilkinsonEnglish actor
- Thomas "Tommy" Lee (Bass)drummer of American band Mötley Crüe
- Thomas BrodieSangster, English actor
- Thomas Mario "Tommy" HaasGerman tennis player
- Thomas SandersAmerican internet personality
- Thomas Luther "Luke" BryanAmerican country singer
- Thomas Edward "Tommy" John Jr.American baseball pitcher
- Thomas Nathaniel "Tommy" IvanCanadian ice hockey manager
- Thomas Maldwyn PryceWelsh racing driver
- Thomas Henry "Tommy" BoltAmerican golfer
- Thomas P StaffordAmerican astronaut
- Thomas 'Tom' CreanIrish explorer
- Thomas Hollis Smithson of William Smith & Abigail "Nabby" Adams
- Thomas HardyBritish poet and novelist
- Thomas MooreBritish poet
- Thomas CarlyleBritish essayist
- Thomas MannGerman novelist
- Thomas Edward "T.E." Lawrenceknown as Lawrence of Arabia
- Thomas James "Tom" RidgewellBritish YouTube personality known as "TomSka"
- Thomas Patrick "Tom" CavanaghCanadian actor
- Thomas Boone Quaid (b. 2007)son of American actor Dennis Quaid
- Thomas David Black (b. 2008)son of American actor Jack Black
- Thomas Williamschild of Brady and Robyn Williams of TV's "My Five Wives"
- Thomas Colton Padalecki (b. 2012)son of actors Jared and Genevieve Padalecki
- Thomas Boyer "Bo" Bryan (b. 2008)son of country singer Luke Bryan
- Thomas Miles Gaalswyk (b. 2016)son of singer Caitlyn Smith
- Thomas South Moore (b. 2017)son of country music singer Justin Moore
- Carl Thomas "Tom" KeiferAmerian musician and singer for the band Cinderella
Thomas in Pop Culture
- "Thomas the Tank Engine" animated series and its main character
- Thomas "Tom" Marvolo Riddle aka Lord Voldemortcharacter in the Harry Potter series
- Thomas Tannercharacter in Cassandra Clare's "The Infernal Devices"
- Thomascharacter in Lauren DeStefano's "The Internment Chronicles"
- Thomas Barrowcharacter on TV's "Downton Abbey"
- Thomas ¨Tom¨ Branson, character on TV's "Downton Abbey"
- Thomas "Tom" Tarletoncharacter in Margaret Mitchell's "Gone With the Wind"
- Thomas Magnummain character on TV's "Magnum P.I."
- Thomas Waynecharacter in DC Universe
- Thomas "Tom" Lonecharacter in DC Universe
- Thomas "Tommy" Merlyncharacter in DC Universe
- Thomas O'Malleycat in Disney' "The AristoCats"
- Thomas J. Sennettcharacter in movie "My Girl"
- Thomas Carvercharacter on TV's "Chasing Life"
- Thomas H. Norsteincharacter in anime "Digimon Data Squad"
- Thomas Tomonecharacter on TV's "Skins"
- Thomas "Tom" Catcharacter in the Tom and Jerry cartoon series
- Thomas "Tommy" Picklescharacter in animated series "Rugrats" and "All Grown Up"
- Thomas Laskymain character in Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn
- Thomas "Tom" Wademain character in G. A. Henty's, In the Heart of the Rockies
- Thomascharacter on animated series "Regular Show"
- Thomasmain character in book and movie "The Maze Runner"
- Thomas Forrestercharacter in soap opera "The Bold and the Beautiful"
- Thomas "Tom" Hagencharacter in "Godfather"
- Thomas "Tom" Hansencharacter in "500 Days of Summer"
- Thomascharacter in the webcomic "Sun Rising"
- Thomas Sharpecharacter in the movie "Crimson Peak"
- Thomas Bryantcharacter from Marie Lu's Legend series
- Thomas J. WhitmoreU.S. President in the 1996 Film "Independence Day" aka ID4 , and was the ex,President in the 2016 sequel "Resurgence"
- Thomas VanderbiltFirst President of the United Federation of Planets, in the Star Trek Franchise, according to memory,alpha.fandom.com
- Thomas LightDoctor who appears in the Mega Man video game series, Dr. Light created Mega Man
- Thomas "House" Conklincharacter in the "Police Academy" Film series
- Thomas Jefferson "T.J." Hookermain character played by William Shatner in the police drama TV series "T.J. Hooker"
- Thomas Veilmain character in the TV series "Nowhere Man" which aired from 1995 to 1996 on UPN
- Thomasfrom No Belonging RPG who's a SUCKER FOR FREEDOM OH MY GOD
- Thomas Lightwoodcharacter in Cassandra Clare’s “The Last Hours” series
Thomas in Nameberry Blog Posts
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