Boy · #37 in 2026

Thomas

Name: Popularity of the name Thomas in U.S. births, 1880–2026
Creator: U.S. Social Security Administration
License: https://www.ssa.gov/foia/
Keywords: Thomas, baby name, popularity, U.S., SSA, rankings

Thomas is a male name of Aramaic origins. The English spelling Thomas is a transliteration through Latin Thomas, of the approximate Greek transliteration, from Imperial Aramaic: תאמא, romanized: Tawmɑʔ), meaning 'twin'. Thomas is recorded in the Greek New Testament as the name of Thomas the Apostle.

Current Rank

#37

Peak Rank

#8 (1952)

Total Babies

2.4M

5-Yr Trend

-3%

1880

First Year

2024

Last Year

1983

Peak Year

#988

Peak Rank

Total Count

142

Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Thomas

What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →

Etymology

The masculine noun תאם (Tôm) occurs throughout Semitic languages , always meaning 'twin', for instance in Hebrew תְאוֹם ("teom") or in Arabic توأم ("tawam").

The Story of Thomas

Thomas first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby boy name in 1880, with 2,534 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1952, when 48,650 Thomass were born — ranking #8 that year. As of 2026, Thomas ranks #37 for baby boys with 6,609 births, holding steady (-3%). In total, more than 2.4M Thomass have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1880s through the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

Top 10

11-50

51-100

101-500

500+

No data

Names that sound like Thomas

Phonetically similar names — useful when Thomas is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.

Tomis
Tamus
Tamas
Timus
Timeous
Tms
Tamis
Tamez
Temis
Tumesce
Tennis
Tomas

Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.

Frequently Asked Questions about Thomas

What does the name Thomas mean?

How popular is Thomas in 2026?

In 2026, Thomas ranks #37 among boys' names in the U.S., with 6,609 babies given the name that year.

When was Thomas most popular?

Thomas reached its peak popularity in 1952, ranking #8 that year with 48,650 babies given the name.

In which U.S. states is Thomas most popular?

Thomas has historically been most popular in Hawaii, North Dakota, Pennsylvania. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Thomas.

Is Thomas a unisex name?

In U.S. Social Security records, Thomas is primarily a boy's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a girl's name.

What names go well with Thomas?

Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Thomas include Edward, Harry, Lucas. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

About the name Thomas

Thomas is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 2.4M births in the dataset. Thomas's peak popularity came in 1952 when it ranked #8. Use the chart and map above to compare Thomas's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.

Continue exploring

Data sources

Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .

Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.