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Thomas Family History

Thomas Surname Meaning

English French Walloon Breton German Dutch Flemish Danish Greek West Indian (mainly Haiti and Jamaica) and African (mainly Tanzania and Nigeria): from the personal name Thomas of Biblical (New Testament) origin from Aramaic t’ōm’a a byname meaning ‘twin’. It was borne by one of the disciples of Christ known for his scepticism about Christ's resurrection (John 20:24–29). The Th- spelling is organic the initial letter of the name in the Greek New Testament being a theta. The English pronunciation as t rather than th- is the result of French influence from an early date. In Britain the surname is widely distributed throughout the country but especially common in Wales and Cornwall. In North America the English form of the surname has absorbed many cognates from other languages (e.g. Assyrian/Chaldean or Arabic Toma and Tuma Albanian Toma and Thoma and Slavic surnames listed in 3 below) and their patronymics and other derivatives (e.g. Polish Tomaszewski and Slovenian Tomažič; see Tomazic ). In France this surname is most common in the Vosges and Brittany. The name Thomas is also found among Christians in southern India (compare Machan Mammen and Oommen ) but since South Indians traditionally do not have hereditary surnames the southern Indian name was in most cases registered as such only after immigration of its bearers to the US. This surname is also very common among African Americans. Native American (e.g. Navajo): adoption of the English personal name Thomas (see 1 above) as a surname. Germanized or Americanized form of Polish Tomas Tomasz and Tomaś Sorbian Tomaš (see also 4 below) Croatian Tomaš and Tomas Slovenian Tomaš and Tomaž Czech and Slovak Tomáš all meaning ‘Thomas’. Germanized or Americanized form of Sorbian Domaš: from the personal name Domaš a derivative of the Old Sorbian name Domasław based on the Old Slavic element domъ ‘home’ but later associated with the Biblical name Thomas (see 1 above compare 3 above).

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


Similar surnames: Thomes, Toma, Thuma, Tomasi, Choma, Tomes, Tobias, Thorman, Thoman

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Where is the Thomas family from?

You can see how Thomas families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Thomas family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Thomas families were found in USA in 1880. In 1840 there were 849 Thomas families living in Pennsylvania. This was about 13% of all the recorded Thomas's in USA. Pennsylvania had the highest population of Thomas families in 1840.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Thomas surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

What did your Thomas ancestors do for a living?

In 1940, Laborer and Maid were the top reported jobs for men and women in the USA named Thomas. 19% of Thomas men worked as a Laborer and 10% of Thomas women worked as a Maid. Some less common occupations for Americans named Thomas were Truck Driver and Housekeeper. .

View Census Data for Thomas | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Top Male Occupations In 1940

  • Laborer
    19%
  • Farmer
    14%
  • Salesman
    4%
  • Truck Driver
    3%

Top Female Occupations In 1940

  • Maid
    10%
  • Cook
    7%
  • Housewife
    5%
  • Housekeeper
    5%
Black & white image of two construction labourers

What Thomas family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 4 million census records available for the last name Thomas. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Thomas census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

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Passenger Lists

There are 529,000 immigration records available for the last name Thomas. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the USA, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

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Draft Cards

There are 800,000 military records available for the last name Thomas. For the veterans among your Thomas ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

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What is the average Thomas lifespan?

Between 1940 and 2004, in the United States, Thomas life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1944, and highest in 2000. The average life expectancy for Thomas in 1940 was 41, and 72 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Thomas

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