Surname Rarity Checker / How rare is Thomas
How Rare Is the Last Name Thomas?
Thomas is the 16th most common surname in the United States. About 756,142 Americans carry it, which works out to roughly 1 in 351 people, or 0.285% of the population. That is a common surname, though far from the top of the list. Here is the full picture from the Census surname file, plus a card you can save and share.
- Rarity
- 1 in 351
- Tier
- Common
- U.S. rank
- 16th
- Share of people
- 0.285%
- People named
- 756,142
- Source
- Census 2010
Based on the U.S. Census Bureau 2010 surname file, which counts 265,667,228 people across 162,253 surnames held by 100 or more people.
Where the surname Thomas comes from
Thomas comes from an Aramaic word meaning 'twin', which is how the apostle got the name. It works as a surname without any 'son of' marker, a pattern common in Wales and in French-speaking regions.
Want to check a different last name? Try the surname rarity checker. Last names are only half the picture: the first-name rarity checker runs the same math on given names, and how common is my name combines the two.
Frequently asked questions
- How rare is the last name Thomas?
- Thomas is in the Common tier. About 1 in 351 Americans share it, which is 0.285% of the population, and it ranks 16th of all U.S. surnames. In total 756,142 people carried it in the 2010 Census.
- Is Thomas a rare last name?
- No. Thomas is a well-established surname rather than a rare one. It is in the Common tier, ranked 16th of all U.S. surnames, with about 1 in 351 Americans sharing it.
- How common is the surname Thomas?
- About 1 in 351 Americans carry the surname Thomas, which is 0.285% of the population and 16th of all U.S. surnames. That places it in the Common tier.
- How many people have the last name Thomas?
- 756,142 people in the United States, according to the Census Bureau's 2010 surname file, which counted 265,667,228 people across 162,253 surnames.
- Where does the surname Thomas come from?
- Thomas comes from an Aramaic word meaning 'twin', which is how the apostle got the name. It works as a surname without any 'son of' marker, a pattern common in Wales and in French-speaking regions.