Every Boy Name

Boy's name

Thomas

Say it TOM-us 2 syllables

Aramaic · “twin”

Loved in Quebec and 1 more place. Common across the UK, Italy, the Netherlands, and 9 more places. Rare in France, Poland, Israel, and 11 more places.

1 in 112 boys born in Northern Ireland in 2025. Number 18 there.

Thomas in every place

Rank, count and share in all 40 places: loved in 2, common in 14, rare in 14.
Thomas in every place we hold figures for
Place Rankyear Boysshare 5 years earlier
British Isles
England and Wales35 (down)20251,3441 in 202152020
Scotland21 (down)20251551 in 127172020
Northern Ireland18 (down)2025741 in 11262020
Ireland16 (up)20252111 in 112192020
North America
Ontario (province)24 (up)2024300about 1 in 200282019
Quebec (province)8 (down)2025434about 1 in 6742020
British Columbia (province)17 (up)202388about 1 in 148202018
Nova Scotia (province)7 (up)202527122020
Oceania
New South Wales (state)13 (down)2025269102020
Victoria (state)12 (down)202527262020
Queensland (state)14 (down)202520592020
South Australia (state)47 (down)202533162020
New Zealand27 (down)202510182020
Western Europe
France152 (down)20253851 in 786742020
Netherlands35 (down)2025310about 1 in 215192020
Central Europe
Austria106 (down)2025691 in 552712020
Switzerland82 (up)2025841 in 429842020
Berlin (city)227 (down)202315about 1 in 1,0342172018
Munich (city)Rare: below the complete list20251422020
Cologne (city)659 (down)20231about 1 in 6,3781802018
Bonn (city)256 (down)20252about 1 in 1,5852422020
Leipzig (city)241 (down)20252about 1 in 1,4382172020
Rostock (city)Rare: below the complete list2025Not listed2020
Nordic countries
Norway106 (down)2025621 in 375952020
Sweden405 (down)202516about 1 in 2,6963912020
DenmarkNot in the published top 502025Not listed2020
FinlandNot in the published top 502025No list2020
IcelandNot in the published top 102025No list2020
Southern Europe
SpainNot in the published top 1002024Not listed2019
Catalonia (region)323 (up)2025111 in 1,8823392020
Italy32 (up)20241,2421 in 152402019
Central and Eastern Europe
Poland265 (up)2025181 in 7,0223022020
HungaryNot in the published top 1002025Not listed2020
SloveniaRare: below the complete list2025Not listed2020
EstoniaNot in the published top 272025Not listed2020
Moscow (city)Not in the published top 612025Not listed2020
CroatiaNot in the published top 502025No list2020
Middle East
TurkeyNot in the published top 302025Not listed2020
Israel (published as תומאס)417 (up)202427about 1 in 3,1526062019
Latin America
ArgentinaNot in the published top 202024Not listed2019

Germany publishes no national list; the German rows are city registers. Israel publishes names in Hebrew script; the original is shown beside the name. About: the publisher leaves out its smallest names, so the share is approximate. ▲ and ▼ compare the rank with five years earlier. Not listed five years earlier: not in that year’s list. No list: the place published no list that year. How these figures are computed.

About the name

Thomas began as an Aramaic nickname meaning 'twin', borne by an apostle. The Gospel of John even translates it into Greek as Didymus. From Greek the name passed into Latin and on into Middle English, and it has been a Christian name since the Middle Ages.

2 more paragraphs

It has two syllables, TOM-us, with a silent h, and short forms that come straight from the name: Tom and Tommy. Across Europe it appears as Tomas, Tommaso and Tomasz.

Thomas remains popular in Quebec and in the Australian states of Victoria and New South Wales, and it holds a place in the lists in Italy, the Netherlands and Switzerland. French records show it at its height around the turn of the millennium. It is now easing in most places, a familiar classic rather than a fashion name.

Meaning, origin and how to say it

Say it
TOM-us · 2 syllables · Stress on beat 1 of 2.
Meaning
“twin”
Origin
Aramaic
Related names
Tomas, Tom, Toma, Tomaz, Tommy, Tommaso, Tomasz, Tamas, Kamaki, Tumas, Khoma, Tomi, Mothas, Motas, Mōtas, Tomašas, Theumis, Tomaso, Tomé, Tomasso
Where Thomas comes from (Wiktionary)

Inherited from Middle English Thomas, from Latin Thōmās (as in the Vulgate), from Ancient Greek Θωμᾶς (Thōmâs), the Biblical Greek transcription of Aramaic תאומא or תאמא (“twin”), the nickname of one of the Twelve Apostles. In the gospel of John (11:16, 20:24), the Aramaic nickname is also translated into Greek, as δίδυμος (dídumos). Used as a given name since the Middle Ages.

Shortened from the Wiktionary entry for Thomas. Text available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Thomas over time

Rising in 1 of the 23 regions we can compare over five years, falling in 7. Peak in France: 2000.

Rank in England and Wales, 1996 to 2025

Thomas in England and Wales: #3 in 1996, a peak of #2 in 1998, and #35 in 2025.

#1#10#50#100#300200020052010201520202025Top 101996: #3, 9,603 boys1997: #3, 9,479 boys1998: #2, 9,468 boys1999: #2, 9,454 boys2000: #2, 8,672 boys2001: #2, 8,337 boys2002: #3, 7,438 boys2003: #3, 7,213 boys2004: #3, 7,295 boys2005: #3, 6,792 boys2006: #2, 6,616 boys2007: #2, 6,530 boys2008: #3, 6,062 boys2009: #6, 5,520 boys2010: #6, 5,307 boys2011: #6, 5,353 boys2012: #6, 4,893 boys2013: #6, 4,591 boys2014: #6, 4,405 boys2015: #9, 4,075 boys2016: #9, 3,898 boys2017: #13, 3,246 boys2018: #12, 3,243 boys2019: #13, 2,957 boys2020: #15, 2,646 boys2021: #18, 2,302 boys2022: #19, 2,101 boys2023: #19, 1,855 boys2024: #26, 1,543 boys2025: #35, 1,344 boys#3 in 1996peak #2, 1998#35in 2025
Show the numbers
YearRankBoys
199639,603
199739,479
199829,468
199929,454
200028,672
200128,337
200237,438
200337,213
200437,295
200536,792
200626,616
200726,530
200836,062
200965,520
201065,307
201165,353
201264,893
201364,591
201464,405
201594,075
201693,898
2017133,246
2018123,243
2019132,957
2020152,646
2021182,302
2022192,101
2023191,855
2024261,543
2025351,344

Source: Office for National Statistics (OGL v3)

The long view: in France

Half of the boys named Thomas in France since 1925 were born in or after 1994. Peak: 2000, about 2,613 per 100,000 boys. Babies per 100,000 boys, five-year periods.

1925-1929: 32.3 per 100,000 boys1930-1934: 30.3 per 100,000 boys1935-1939: 21.1 per 100,000 boys1940-1944: 19.2 per 100,000 boys19401945-1949: 14.5 per 100,000 boys1950-1954: 16.4 per 100,000 boys1955-1959: 31.3 per 100,000 boys1960-1964: 46.8 per 100,000 boys19601965-1969: 83.4 per 100,000 boys1970-1974: 319.9 per 100,000 boys1975-1979: 822.3 per 100,000 boys1980-1984: 1,445.2 per 100,000 boys19801985-1989: 1,975.8 per 100,000 boys1990-1994: 2,444.3 per 100,000 boys1995-1999: 2,470.2 per 100,000 boys2000-2004: 2,142.8 per 100,000 boys20002005-2009: 1,184.5 per 100,000 boys2010-2014: 670.9 per 100,000 boys2015-2019: 392.4 per 100,000 boys2020-2024: 200 per 100,000 boys20202025: 127.2 per 100,000 boys20251995-1999: about 1 in 40 boys
Show the numbers
YearsPer 100,000 boys
1925–192932.3
1930–193430.3
1935–193921.1
1940–194419.2
1945–194914.5
1950–195416.4
1955–195931.3
1960–196446.8
1965–196983.4
1970–1974319.9
1975–1979822.3
1980–19841,445.2
1985–19891,975.8
1990–19942,444.3
1995–19992,470.2
2000–20042,142.8
2005–20091,184.5
2010–2014670.9
2015–2019392.4
2020–2024200
2025127.2

Source: INSEE, Fichier des prénoms (édition 2025) (Licence Ouverte / Etalab 2.0). Dark bar: the period holding the median birth year.

Brothers and middle names for Thomas

Brother names

Names that rose and fell with Thomas, from the same generation, with no clashing sounds.

  1. 1 in 118, England and Wales

  2. 1 in 224, Northern Ireland

  3. 1 in 130, Scotland

  4. 1 in 354, England and Wales

  5. 1 in 136, Northern Ireland

  6. 1 in 290, England and Wales

  7. 1 in 69, Austria

  8. 1 in 85, England and Wales

  9. 1 in 250, Ireland

  10. 1 in 62, Poland

All 40 brother names for Thomas

Middle names

Scored for rhythm against Thomas's 2 syllables and for long, steady use.

  1. 1 in 86, England and Wales

  2. 1 in 130, Scotland

  3. 1 in 62, Poland

  4. 1 in 103, England and Wales

  5. 1 in 137, Scotland

  6. 1 in 50, Ireland

  7. 1 in 224, Northern Ireland

  8. 1 in 61, Northern Ireland

Full-name check

Thomas Oliver

Syllables 2-3Initials T.O.No sound clashes between the parts.

All 40 middle names for Thomas

Sisters for Thomas: Alice, Emily, Grace, and 5 more
  1. AliceRose and fell with Thomas · Same generation as Thomas
  2. EmilyRose and fell with Thomas · Same generation as Thomas
  3. GraceRose and fell with Thomas · As common as Thomas
  4. CharlotteRose and fell with Thomas · Same generation as Thomas
  5. AnnaRose and fell with Thomas · As common as Thomas
  6. SarahRose and fell with Thomas · Same generation as Thomas
  7. EvaRose and fell with Thomas · As common as Thomas
  8. HannahRose and fell with Thomas

Girls' names from the same engine, over the girls' lists of the same publishers.

Moved with Thomas

The boy names whose popularity rose and fell most like Thomas's across every region and decade we hold.

  1. Rare in France, Italy, Poland, and 13 more places.

  2. Rare in France, Italy, Poland, and 9 more places.

  3. Common across France, the UK, Italy, and 25 more places.

  4. Common across the UK, three Canadian provinces, Israel, and 7 more places.

  5. Rare in Italy, Poland, Israel, and 15 more places.

  6. Rare across the UK, Italy, Poland, and 15 more places.

  7. Common in England and Wales, the Netherlands, Austria, and 12 more places.

  8. Common across the UK, Sweden, Austria, and 10 more places.

Famous people named Thomas

Thomas Edison, Thomas Jefferson, and 6 more
  • Thomas Edison 1847 to 1931

    American inventor and businessman

  • Thomas Jefferson 1743 to 1826

    Founding Father, U.S. president from 1801 to 1809

  • Thomas Mann 1875 to 1955

    German novelist and Nobel Prize laureate

  • Thomas Hobbes 1588 to 1679

    English philosopher

  • Thomas Paine 1737 to 1809

    American Founding Father, philosopher, and political activist

  • Thomas More 1478 to 1535

    English statesman, lawyer and philosopher

  • Thomas Hardy 1840 to 1928

    English novelist and poet

  • Thomas Carlyle 1795 to 1881

    Scottish essayist, historian and philosopher

From Wikidata, ranked by how many Wikipedia language editions have an article on them. People: Wikidata (CC0). Links go to Wikipedia in this page's language when an article exists, else English.

Questions about Thomas

How popular is Thomas in Victoria?

Thomas ranked #12 in Victoria in 2025, given to 272 boys.

Is Thomas rising in popularity?

Not overall: it is falling in more places than it is rising. Rising in 1 of the 23 regions we can compare over five years, falling in 7. Rising in: Israel.

What does Thomas mean?

Thomas means “twin”, according to Wiktionary.

How many syllables does Thomas have?

Thomas has 2 syllables: TOM-us.

Every rank and count on this page comes from an official birth register. How these figures are computed.

Meanings, origins and people: Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0), Wikidata (CC0).

The 42 birth registers behind these figures

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