The Toms surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 4,986 people carried this name — #6,764 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 59,200 people counted. That is up 4% from 4,779 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Toms surname

A surname originating as a patronymic, derived from Tom.

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Toms» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley classes it as a baptismal name, from a given name: ‘the son of Thomas’.

His entry covers Toms, Tomes and Tomson.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 757 · public domain.

In Poland’s population register

34 people named Toms have a registered home in Poland.

Of the 57 in Poland’s national register, these are the ones with a permanent address on file. They live in 3 of Poland’s 16 voivodeships, most of all in Lower Silesian.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

Lower Silesian 20
Silesian 7
Greater Poland 7

PESEL register, Ministry of Digital Affairs of Poland (dane.gov.pl) — CC0 · living people by voivodeship of permanent residence, 20 January 2026.

In France’s civil register

France’s register of deaths holds 28 people named Toms.

8 of them were born outside France. Those born in France came from 3 départements, most often Allier.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they were born

Born outside France 8
Allier 15
Paris 4
Loire 1

Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.

In the Nordic population registers

34 people named Toms is counted in Sweden.

Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published.

Counted, by country

Sweden (2022) 34

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).

Among the farmers of England and Wales, 1880s

Toms was found among the farmers of Devon: 7 in every 10,000.

Guppy counted the farmers listed in each county’s directory and recorded a name only where it reached about 7 in every 10,000; where it does not appear, it was rarer than that, not absent.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Per 10,000 farmers, by county

Devon 7

H. B. Guppy, «Homes of Family Names in Great Britain» (London, 1890), alphabetical list of English and Welsh names — public domain · farmers in Kelly’s Post Office Directories of the 1880s, per 10,000 farmers in each county.

In the first U.S. census, 1790

49 families named Toms, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 295 people lived in those households, 6 to a family on average. The table counts it together with 8 other spellings. The table lists white heads of families only, in the twelve states whose 1790 records survive; Virginia’s figures come from state lists of 1782–1785.

Families, by state

New York 14
Maryland 11
Maine 7
Pennsylvania 7
North Carolina 4
New Hampshire 3
Virginia 2
Vermont 1

U.S. Census Bureau, «A Century of Population Growth from the First Census of the United States to the Twelfth, 1790–1900» (Washington, 1909), table 111, p. 265 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

Toms in American newspapers,
1904–1906.

Newspaper page from Ellsworth American carrying the name Toms
Ellsworth American 1904-07-20
Newspaper page from The French Broad Hustler carrying the name Toms
The French Broad Hustler 1906-05-10
Newspaper page from The French Broad Hustler carrying the name Toms
The French Broad Hustler 1906-05-10

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 61,672 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Toms in Australian newspapers,
1830s–1990s.

20,790 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Toms. The most, 3,859, date from the 1910s. Weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, it stands out most in South Australia, at 3.0 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

South Australia 7,282
New South Wales 5,442
Queensland 3,177
Victoria 2,256
Western Australia 1,435
Tasmania 839
ACT (Canberra) 337
Northern Territory 3

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Toms.

Who carried it

People named Toms,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Henry Storer Toms
    Henry Storer Toms 1839–1916 · Christian minister
  • Francis Toms d. 1918
  • William Henry Toms 1700–1765 · publisher
  • William Henry Toms 1701–1765 · publisher
  • Joseph Toms 1842–1909
  • Emmeline Susan Bowring 1855–1885

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Toms,
in the records of 8 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States454 records

454 records of the Toms name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 168
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 73
  • Other U.S. records 213
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Theodore Toms

    Born 1915 in Tennessee. Enlisted 1942 at Camp Forrest; shoemaker from Knox County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1950, buried at Knoxville National Cemetery, Tennessee.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Dennis Leroy Toms

    Born 1942; from Luverne, Minnesota. U.S. Navy, airman; died in an accident 1965 in South Vietnam.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Michael Toms

    Arrived at Baltimore in 1891 aboard the America from Bremen, aged 67; farmer. From New York, Prussia, Germany; bound for Missouri.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)

Showing 3 of 454 records for Toms in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · City of Asheville (public domain, PDDL) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Australia380 records

380 records of the Toms name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 236
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 69
  • Other Australian records 75
  1. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record Mary Ann Toms

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Royal Admiral, sailing from London in 1842. Native of Plymouth, Devon. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1844.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Richard Toms

    Arrived in Victoria in 1852 aboard the Windermere, aged 29; English.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Arthur Toms

    Baker of Yarram, Victoria; died 1961.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 380 records for Toms in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · ACT Government, Transport Canberra and City Services (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain).

Canada31 records

31 records of the Toms name in Canada
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 11
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 11
  • Other Canadian records 9
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Ed Toms

    Came to Ontario in 1871 aboard the Thames, landing at Quebec, bound for Colborne, Ontario; English.

    Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Gladys Violet Toms

    Buried in 2000 at Queen's Park Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 95.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Ellen Toms

    Died 1922 in Sydney, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.

Showing 3 of 31 records for Toms in Canada.

Counts: Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · Contains information provided by the City of Waterloo under licence · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

United Kingdom20 records

20 records of the Toms name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 18
  • St James's burial ground, Euston (London), 1789–1853 2
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Ann Toms

    Buried in 1797 at St James's burial ground, Euston, London, aged 80.

    MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  2. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record H. Toms

    Machine Gun Corps. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1919.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)
  3. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record S. H. Toms

    Driver, Ieshire Regiment. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1919.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)

Showing 3 of 20 records for Toms in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

Netherlands17 records

17 records of the Toms name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch population registers 12
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 3
  • Dutch church registers before 1811 2
  1. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Ralph Toms

    Died 1924 in Rotterdam, aged 38.

    Open Archives, Stadsarchief Rotterdam (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record James Toms

    Died 1866 in 's-Gravenhage, aged 30.

    Open Archives, Haags Gemeentearchief (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Francis Toms

    Buried in 1747 in Breda.

    Open Archives, Stadsarchief Breda (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 17 records for Toms in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

New Zealand12 records

12 records of the Toms name in New Zealand
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 9
  • Marlborough District cemetery records 3
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record William Mathias Toms

    Died 1899, aged 75; buried at Linwood Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Elizabeth Laura Toms

    Died 1983, aged 75; buried at Fairhall Cemetery, Marlborough.

    Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Annie Maria Toms

    Died 1939, aged 75; buried at Bromley Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 12 records for Toms in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

Germany9 records

9 records of the Toms name in Germany
  • Germany's First World War casualty lists, 1914–1919 8
  • German estate files 1
  1. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Toms

    From Kleinziegenort, Ückermünde. Reported wounded in the Prussian casualty list of 21 July 1915 (Infantry Regiment No. 14).

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)
  2. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Franz Christ Toms

    Estate settled at Kollow in 1862.

    Deutsche Digitale Bibliothek / Landesarchiv Schleswig-Holstein (CC0)
  3. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Peter Toms

    From Brodersby, Schleswig. Reported wounded in the Prussian casualty list of 8 May 1918.

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)

Showing 3 of 9 records for Toms in Germany.

Counts: Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0) · Deutsche Digitale Bibliothek (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Deutsche Verlustlisten, Prussian list 1116, 18 April 1918 (scan via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain).

France7 records

7 records of the Toms name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Minnie Mabel Toms

    Born 1912 in Australia; died 1992 in Évron (Mayenne).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  2. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Pierre Robert Toms

    Born 1922 in Saint-Pourçain-sur-Sioule; died 2000 in Moulins (Allier).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  3. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Francine Marie Madeleine Toms

    Born 1909 in Saint-Loup (Allier); died 1998 in Le Coteau (Loire).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Showing 3 of 7 records for Toms in France.

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Toms.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Toms 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.

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