Thomas

Aramaic

"twin"

Thomas Origin and Meaning

The name Thomas is a boy's name of Aramaic origin meaning "twin".

Thomas is the Greek variation of the Aramaic name Ta’oma’. It came about because there were too many apostles named Judas; Jesus renamed one Thomas—meaning "twin"—to distinguish him from Judas Iscariot and the Judas also known as Thaddeus. At first, it was used only for priests.

Thomas has been one of the most commonly used classic baby names in both England and the U.S. over time, and is still firmly in the Top 100. From the original apostle and several saints, through Thomas Jefferson, Edison, Pynchon, Hanks and Cruise, Thomas is simple, straightforward and strong. And it offers more definition than names like John and James—all that a parent with timeless taste could want. As a bonus, kids will identify with Thomas the Tank Engine.

Sir Thomas Aquinas and Thomas a Becket are two of many towering Thomases.

Thomas ranked among the U.S. Top 10 baby names pretty much through the 1960s; right now, it is still quite widely used in England and Australia.

Thomas has some noteworthy foreign versions: the multicultural Tomas, the Italian Tomasso, the Portuguese Tomaz and the Scottish nickname Tam. In Paris these days, Tom is a popular name used on its own.

Jack Black and Dennis Quaid both have sons named Thomas.

• 47 US 2019
• 49 Nameberry 2021
• 13 England 2019
• 65 France 2019
• 17 Scotland 2019
• 18 Ireland 2019
• 19 Netherlands 2020
• 165 Germany 2016
• 8 New Zealand 2020
• 7 Australia 2019
• 40 Italy 2019
• 81 2028 2028