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Gender: Male Meaning of Thomas: "twin" Origin of Thomas: Aramaic Thomas's Popularity in 2018: #49

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.

16 names similar to Thomas

These 16 names were selected by our users that were looking for other names like Thomas. If you didn't find an alternative name that you like better than Thomas, try our name generator. It allows you to go beyond the similarities of a name, which can provide a lot of inspiration!

Find other names based on Thomas using our baby name generator.

Lists containing Thomas

Thomas in Blog Posts

Popularity

Rank in US: #49
- this week

Famous People Named Thomas

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Saint Thomas the Apostle
(Stephen) Thomas, King of Bosnia
Thomas the Slav, Byzantine military commander
Thomas of Bayeux, Archbishop of York
Thomas a Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury
Thomas Aquinas, Italian theologian
Thomas Wolsey, English cardinal under Henry VIII
Thomas More, English author, philosopher and statesman
Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury
Thomas Jefferson, 3rd U.S. president and Founding Father
Thomas Paine, American Revolutionary patriot
Thomas McDonagh, Irish revolutionary leader and signatory

Pop Culture References for the name Thomas

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"Thomas the Tank Engine," animated series and its main character
Thomas "Tom" Marvolo Riddle aka Lord Voldemort, character in the Harry Potter series
Thomas Tanner, character in Cassandra Clare's "The Infernal Devices"
Thomas, character in Lauren DeStefano's "The Internment Chronicles"
Thomas Barrow, character on TV's "Downton Abbey"
Thomas ¨Tom¨ Branson, , character on TV's "Downton Abbey"
Thomas "Tom" Tarleton, character in Margaret Mitchell's "Gone With the Wind"
Thomas Magnum, main character on TV's "Magnum P.I."
Thomas Wayne, character in DC Universe
Thomas "Tom" Lone, character in DC Universe
Thomas "Tommy" Merlyn, character in DC Universe
Thomas O'Malley, cat in Disney' "The AristoCats"

Nicknames & Variations for Thomas

Tommy, Tom, Thomaz, Thomeson, Thomison, Thommas, Thompson, Thomsen, Thomson, Thomy, Thomason, Tomah, Tomaisin, Tomie, Tomkin, Tomlin,

Comments

ParanoidAndroid Says:

2020-02-14T05:16:01

Thomas makes such a classic middle name. I can't stand Tom or its counterpart, Tommy. I can see Chauncey Thomas being a good combination.

stella2007 Says:

2017-03-08T11:18:53

Even though it is meant to be a common name, I just recently realised I've actually never met a person named Thomas in my life, nor Tom or Tommys either. I really love the name. It's a solid, classic name for a man and cute on little boys too! Lots of famous Thomas' too, Tom Hanks, Tom Cruise, Tom Brady just to name a few. It's a vintage name that is still so modern.

hermioneameliastyles Says:

2016-12-28T20:56:05

I know three Thomas'. One is my cousin, the second is my neighbor and education pastor at my church, and finally a boy who went to my middle school. This is also the middle name for Calum Hood. I really like this name, but sadly I can't use it because my cousin has this name. If I used it, it would just confuse my Grandma.

paulapuddephatt Says:

2016-11-09T22:20:11

Love this name, classic, love Tom or the name in full

LV51sfan91 Says:

2016-10-19T02:10:53

I like Thomas, Tom and Tommy. However o wish it didn't mean twin. It also has some bad associations "peeping Tom."

Impwood Says:

2015-12-01T11:43:30

This is a splendid name. It has wonderful literary connections (Tom Tulliver, Tom Sawyer, etc.) and two friendly diminutives, Tom and Tommy. I can picture a Thomas of any age and in any walk of life.

ashbee Says:

2015-10-16T23:33:48

Tom Hiddleston and Tom Hardy. HOT! Even Tom Hanks... getting off track! Point is, many great namesakes of all ages.

HelenSarah Says:

2015-09-18T13:33:27

I like Tommo as a nickname for Thomas, like Tommo Peaceful from Private Peaceful by Michael Morpurgo

Catastroffy Says:

2015-07-12T19:01:56

If I had a child named Thomas, I would feel a bit silly explaining to him that his name meant "twin" if he wasn't one.

alchemicallypurplefairy Says:

2015-06-07T02:09:46

Amazing book :)

KassemJ Says:

2015-03-27T23:36:07

Thomas is one of my Absolute Favorite Names. Thomas is a fantastic name that fit any age and any man. Tommy is a also a nice nickname for when he's young and Tom is great for when he's older, but I'd personally prefer to just call him Thomas, no nickname.

Essa Says:

2015-01-03T19:18:46

There must've been at least 4/5 Thomases in my school year and I know so many more but I'm from England so maybe that's it. I know young and old Thomases, literally ranging from 6 to like in their 70s/80s.

Essa Says:

2015-01-03T19:15:13

The exact reason why I've only ever considered Thomas as a middle name and not a first. I do know a Thomas who goes by his full name but it's just too much of a risk to take.

alchemicallypurplefairy Says:

2015-01-03T19:03:40

I know a Thomas who just goes by that. It's kind of funny because there's this woman who usually substitutes for our language arts teacher who, when taking attendance, always calls him Tom, and he gets so ticked off. She doesn't call anyone else by a shortened form of their name - just him.

helenlouise Says:

2015-01-03T16:55:53

I really like Thomas but really hate Tom, which is an inevitable nickname so I guess that makes it unusable for me :(

indiefendi2 Says:

2014-12-24T04:06:29

I guess it might be regional. I've met a bunch of Thomases in my life. Common surname as well.

SweetPraline Says:

2014-12-24T01:44:18

I'm surprised that Thomas is supposed to be so popular because until 3 years ago I hadn't even MET a Thomas. My boyfriend is the only Thomas I know besides Thomas The Train, and I don't think he counts.

Leah3456 Says:

2014-11-21T02:38:26

Timeless, handsome name.

Thomas Says:

2014-09-20T02:50:45

My name is Thomas and i like being named Thomas because it sounds professional and cool at the same time.

jasminegarden Says:

2014-08-18T14:09:54

I really like this name, if I had a son called Thomas I would call him by his full name so he would stand out amongst all the other Toms & Tommys :)

Addie88 Says:

2014-07-23T20:30:10

Thomas is a great old classic, traditional name. Plain and simple. Tom and Tommy are both charming. To hear of a contemporary Thomas is always refreshing and brings a smile to my face.

Shishi Says:

2014-06-27T19:37:23

Read Legend by Marie Lu. Just do it. :)

Elizabeth_Colleen Says:

2014-06-16T01:53:42

Thomas is my younger brothers name and he likes it. My family calls him "Tommy" his friends call him "Tom" and I call him "Thomas". I absolutely adore this name