Thomas

Spellings & scripts●

Locally spelled Thamas in IN India, BR Brazil.

Spellings marked ● are how people bearing the name write it in our records; ○ marks a model's transliteration. Click a spelling to open its page.

Meaning & origin●

Attested across 15 languages in the etymology graph.

Languages●

Language is read off each record's context, not declared by the bearer; a share is of all records for this spelling.

Other names spelled this way◐

Thomas is also recorded as 6 other names, grouped separately because the records behind them do not connect to the one described above.

• French given name2.7M records spelled Thomas50 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in France, United States, Belgium, United Kingdom

  Languages: French, Catalan

  Also written Tuomas, Thomàs, Thomás, T'Homas, Thömas

• Spanish given name2.0M records spelled Thomas53 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in United States, Brazil, Argentina, Colombia

  Languages: Spanish, Portuguese, French

  Also written Thomás, Tomasz, Thomàs, Thómas, Thomãs

• a separate given name869K records spelled Thomas11 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in United States, India, United Kingdom, Canada

  Also written Thom-As, Tho-Mas, Thomás, Thómas, Thömas

• Hindi given name583K records spelled Thomas16 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in India, United States, United Kingdom, Switzerland

  Languages: Hindi, Sinhala, Urdu

  Also written থমাস, Thomás, থোমস, Thomãš, Thömäš

• a separate given name107K records spelled Thomas10 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in United States, Norway, United Kingdom, Sweden

  Also written Thomās, Thômas, Thomás, T̉ͫh̀ͦö̇ma̋s, Thōmäš

• Indonesian given name93K records spelled Thomas9 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in United States, Indonesia, India, Malaysia

  Languages: Indonesian, Malay

  Also written 'Thomas, Thömáš, Thómas, Thomås, Thömäš

144 further groups record this spelling and are not listed here.

Grouping is the name graph's, not a register's: two spellings join a group when the evidence links them, so a group is a claim about the records rather than about the people.

Other recorded senses●

Thomas is also recorded in 5 other lexicons, as a different name or as an ordinary word. These are senses of the spelling, not of the name above.

• The name Thomas, meaning 'twin,' is a classic and enduring name with deep historical roots. It belongs to the apostle known for his loyalty, thoughtful questioning, and ultimate declaration of profound faith. The name suggests a character that is both honest and devoted.

  as a name·Biblical Names Compiled Database

• The name 'Thomas' is the Greek form of the Aramaic name 'Te'oma' (תְּאוֹמָא), which means 'twin'. The New Testament also refers to him by the Greek equivalent, 'Didymus', which likewise means 'twin'.

  as a name·Biblical Names Compiled Database

• In German, from Aramaic Teʾoma 'twin'; used in the phrase ungläubiger Thomas

  as a name·Deutsche Namenkunde: Unsere Familiennamen nach ihrer Entstehung und Bedeutung

• In English, Aramaic name meaning ‘twin’; first attested Thomas 1086

  as a name·A Dictionary of English Surnames

• In English, From the personal name Thomas; earliest cited as thum, david ap thum (Caern. 1293).

  as a name·Welsh Surnames

Ordered by how much of this spelling's record each language holds, so a sense from a language the name is barely used in sits last rather than first.

Over time●

US SSA — National Baby Names (1880–present) — 146 years between 1880–2025. One register's own figures, never a sum across registers: two registers counting the same people would double them.

Notable people with this name●

• Thomas Paineb. 1737USAmerican Founding Father, philosopher, and political activist (1737–1809)
• Thomas Jeffersonb. 1743USFounding Father, U.S. president from 1801 to 1809 (1743–1826)
• Thomas Malthusb. 1766GBBritish political economist (1766–1834)
• Thomas Carlyleb. 1795GBScottish essayist, historian and philosopher (1795–1881)
• Thomas Hardyb. 1840GBEnglish novelist and poet (1840–1928)
• Tennessee Williamsb. 1911USnot in their usual nameAmerican playwright (1911–1983)
• Dale T. Mortensenb. 1939USnot in their usual nameAmerican economist (1939–2014)
• Thomas J. Sargentb. 1943USAmerican economist (born 1943)
• Tom Clancyb. 1947USnot in their usual nameAmerican author (1947–2013)
• Evan Spiegelb. 1990USnot in their usual nameAmerican businessman (born 1990)

The ten people covered by the most Wikipedia language editions — a proxy for cross-cultural notability, which favours historical and Western figures over equally prominent contemporary ones — shown by birth year. Source: Wikidata (CC0).

Evidence●

Register rows as of the 2026-09-12 data build · 2,613 rows in the corpus for this spelling.

Frequently asked questions

How common is the name Thomas?

We estimate roughly 2.4 million people bear Thomas (counting its spellings and scripts) across 13 countries in our records.

In which country does Thomas have the most bearers?

We estimate about 1.5 million people bear Thomas in the United States, more than in any other country in our records, where it is most often spelled thomas.

Where is Thomas most common?

Measured as a share of residents rather than as a count, Thomas is densest in the Czechia — about 1 in 29 people — even though United States holds more of our records for it.

How common is Thomas compared with other names?

In the United States, Thomas is the 13th most common given name of 3,122,706 given names recorded there.

Is Thomas a male or female name?

Thomas is a male name in our records. Opposite-gender entries fall within the cross-gender noise we measure in the source data, so we don't report them as usage.

What does the name Thomas mean?

Recorded meaning: from the biblical personal name Thomas, from Aramaic t’dm’a ‘twin’