Given name & surname
Thomson
“twin”
Thomson is a variant of Thomas. The original Aramaic byname means “twin.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
Thomson is a variant of Thomas. The original Aramaic byname means “twin.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
Thomson is a variant 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 usage, Thomson as a surname has a “son of” formation linked to Tom. Thomson is a variant 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.
Combines direct and name-family evidence
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1943. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin. Thomson is a variant 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
Thomson through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 245
- 245 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 2016
- 15 babies
- 2025
- 5
- #13,694 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −47%
- Cooling
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 5 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 13,694 among boys’ names. The recent annual counts are too incomplete to establish a ten-year comparison. Its largest published annual count for boys was 15 in 2016. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 459 as a first name in 2020; 24,308 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.
Thomson’s family of names
In English usage, Thomson as a surname has a “son of” formation linked to Tom. Thomson has a related form in Thomas. In English usage, Thomson has a related form in Thompson.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Thomson has relatives in 4 languages.
9 related names in 4 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 7
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 2
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 3
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Thomson
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Thomson, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Sampson
Sampson is a masculine given name from Hebrew. It is used in English and Middle English.
>99% boys
Hebron
“born of the community; a good friend”
>99% boys
Avel
“the life force; breath”
>99% boys
Elnathan
“God has given”
>99% boys
Lazar
“leper”
>99% boys
Zacharias
“The Lord remembers”
>99% boys
Abran
“father of a multitude (of nations)” · “father of a multitude; father of nations”
>99% boys
Benjimen
“son of the right hand” · “son of the south”
>99% boys
Sibling ideas
Names that share Thomson’s feel without repeating its first letter or rhyming with it.
A sister for Thomson