Given name & surname
Thom
“twin”
In English use, Thom is a diminutive of Thomas. The original Aramaic byname means “twin.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
In English use, Thom is a diminutive of Thomas. The original Aramaic byname means “twin.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
In English use, Thom is a diminutive of Thomas. Thomas developed from an Aramaic byname and reached wider use through its Greek biblical form.
Explained through its name family
How it developed
In English use, Thom is a diminutive of Thomas. The shared background comes through Thomas: The apostle is called Thomas and also Didymus in the New Testament. Didymus reflects the Greek word for “twin,” matching the meaning of the Aramaic byname behind Thomas.
Explained through its name family
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1917. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin. In English use, Thom is a diminutive of Thomas. The history of Thomas gives this family its wider story. Thomas was the name of one of Jesus’s twelve apostles, remembered in Christian tradition for his doubts and later reassurance. That story helped establish the name across Christian naming traditions.
Combines direct and name-family evidence
Thom through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 844
- 844 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 1961
- 32 babies
- 2025
- 0
- Outside the ranked list
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- —
- Too few births to compare
By the numbers
The most recent published U.S. birth count for boys is 5 in 2021. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Its largest published annual count for boys was 32 in 1961. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 2,241 as a first name in 2020; 5,158 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Thom’s family of names
In English usage, Thom is a diminutive of Thomas. In English usage, Thom has a related form in Tom. Thom has a related form in Thomas.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 4
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 21
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Thom
- Thom YorkeEnglish musician and singer for Radioheadborn 1968
- Thom MayneAmerican architect (b.1944)
- Thom TillisUnited States Senator from North Carolina since 2015born 1960
- Thom BarryAmerican actorborn 1950
- Thom HayeIndonesian footballerborn 1995
- Thom MathewsAmerican actorborn 1958
- Thom GunnEnglish poet (1929-2004)
- Thom NobleBritish film editorborn 1936
- Thom HartmannAmerican political commentator (born 1951)
Characters named Thom: Thom Merrilin (The Wheel of Time).
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Thom, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Buz
“contempt”
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Gjon
Gjon is a masculine given name from Latin, ultimately from Biblical Hebrew. It is used in Albanian.
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Jens
“God is gracious”
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Michel
“who is like God?”
76% boys · 24% girls
Marty
“lady” · “dedicated to Mars, the god of war”
84% boys · 16% girls
Jerem
“one who is exalted by the Lord”
>99% boys