The Thomas surname
In the 2010 U.S. Census, 756,142 people carried this name — #16 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 390 people counted. That is up 6% from 710,696 in 2000.
What the name means
The meaning of the Thomas surname
A surname originating as a patronymic.
From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Thomas» (German), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.
In France’s civil register
France’s register of deaths holds 50,965 people named Thomas.
1,042 of them were born outside France. Those born in France came from 106 départements, most often Paris.
Where it concentrates, on the mapWhere they were born
Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.
In Belgium’s population register
At least 5,963 people named Thomas live in Belgium.
Statbel only publishes a name in a municipality when five or more people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Liège.
Where it concentrates, on the mapWhere they live today
Statbel (Statistics Belgium), family names of the population by municipality, 1 January 2026 — CC BY 4.0.
In Argentina’s national register
At least 2,072 people named Thomas live in Argentina.
RENAPER only publishes a name in a province when more than ten people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Buenos Aires Province.
Where it concentrates, on the mapWhere they live today
RENAPER (National Registry of Persons, Argentina), surnames of residents by province, December 2021 — CC BY 4.0.
In Switzerland’s population statistics
1,790 people named Thomas live in Switzerland.
They live in 25 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Vaud.
Where it concentrates, on the mapWhere they live today
Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO), «Surnames of the permanent resident population by canton», 2025, opendata.swiss/en/dataset/nachnamen-der-standigen-wohnbevolkerung-nach-kanton3 · names with fewer than 3 bearers in a canton are not published.
In Ireland’s birth registers, 1890
Ireland registered 28 births for the Thomas name in 1890.
They were registered in all four provinces, most of all in Ulster. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 1,200 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time. The Registrar-General’s note on the name: “Antrim.”
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they were born, 1890
Registrar-General for Ireland, «Special Report on Surnames in Ireland» (R. E. Matheson, 1894), births index of 1890 — public domain.
In Poland’s population register
768 people named Thomas have a registered home in Poland.
Of the 1,441 in Poland’s national register, these are the ones with a permanent address on file. They live in all 16 of Poland’s voivodeships, most of all in Greater Poland.
Where it concentrates, on the mapWhere they live today
PESEL register, Ministry of Digital Affairs of Poland (dane.gov.pl) — CC0 · living people by voivodeship of permanent residence, 20 January 2026.
In the Nordic population registers
1,364 people named Thomas are counted in Sweden, Norway and Finland.
Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published. Norway publishes only surnames with 200 or more bearers. Finland counts its citizens, at home or abroad.
Counted, by country
Own calculations based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), surnames with at least two bearers, 31 December 2022 — CC BY 4.0 (names with 20 or more bearers shown) · Statistics Norway (SSB, ssb.no), table 12891, 2025 — CC BY 4.0 · Digital and Population Data Services Agency (DVV), Finland, surname statistics, August 2026 — CC BY 4.0.
In print
Thomas in American newspapers,
1896–1937.
Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 8,533,869 pages in all carry the name.
Who carried it
People named Thomas,
with a public archive behind them.
-
John Thomas 1724–1776 · military officer -
Antoine Léonard Thomas 1732–1785 · writer -
Jesse B. Thomas 1777–1853 · judge -
William Thomas 1793–1867 · government advisor -
Ambroise Thomas 1811–1896 · composer
Wikidata and Wikimedia Commons (CC0) · 115 lives in all are documented under this name.
Nearby in the index
Surnames next to Thomas.
- Thirion 302 · U.S. census
- Thiry 1,140 · U.S. census
- Tho 329 · U.S. census
- Thole 1,608 · U.S. census
- Thoma 4,068 · U.S. census
- Thomann 1,034 · U.S. census
- Thomasson 4,844 · U.S. census
- Thome 3,163 · U.S. census
- Thomen 264 · U.S. census
- Thommes 255 · U.S. census
- Thompson 664,644 · U.S. census
- Thomsen 7,654 · U.S. census
When the index is not enough
This page says where Thomas is.
A volume says what happened to it.
Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.