Tom
Feminine · “Short for Thomas”
Tom is given to boys far more often — 139,756 boys against 614 girls since 1880. See Tom as a boy name
Tom is the short form of Thomas, 'twin', and it has been so ordinary in English for so long that it became a word in its own right. Every male cat in the language is a tom, and the first English fairy tale ever printed was about a boy no bigger than a thumb.
How old is the name Tom?
Tom first appears in US birth records in 1883 — 142 years ago. The typical Tom alive today was born around 1932, making them about 93 years old. About 200 people named Tom are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Tom most popular?
Tom peaked in 1883, reaching #817 nationally. See the whole 1883 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
From te'oma to Tom
The story of Tom
In 1621 a London printer published The History of Tom Thumbe, the tale of a boy the size of his father's thumb, and it is counted the first English fairy tale printed as a book. In 1760 an anonymous best-seller, The Life and Adventures of a Cat, made its hero a male cat called Tom the Cat, and 'tomcat' soon replaced the older 'ram-cat'. Tom has been an American boy's name since before records began and was one of the most familiar names of the late nineteenth century; it is recorded almost entirely for boys.
Meaning
Short for Thomas, 'twin'
Thomas comes from Aramaic te'oma, 'twin'.
How the name formed
- te'oma
- Thomas
- Tom
Related forms: Thomas · Tom · Tomás · Tommaso
Pronouncing Tom
TOM
One syllable.
Nicknames for Tom
Limited
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1883
- Most girls named
- 192520 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #817reached in 1883
- Change vs 1973
- +16.7%7 in 1976, from 6
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Tom in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Thomas in English — related form
- Tom in Dutch — same name
- Tomás in Spanish — related form
- Tommaso in Italian — related form
Toms among us
people named Tom are estimated to be alive in the US today
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
Questions parents actually ask
Fashion outlook
Tom sits outside the current charts, and that is its own kind of answer: naming cycles can only date the names they carried up. A name this rare has no decade stamped on it — it cannot go out of fashion, because it was never in.
Based on 146 years of naming cycles. How we read them
The trade-off
- Instantly recognized in every English-speaking country.
- Short and impossible to misspell.
- A long, unbroken history.
- Many people will assume it is short for Thomas and ask.
- It is strongly represented among older generations and rare among babies today.
- For a girl it would be very unusual.
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What they receive
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Tom
Feminine
Frequently asked
- How many Toms are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 200 people named Tom are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Tom in 2025?
- Tom is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 girl names.
- Will my child share the name Tom with classmates?
- Tom will almost certainly be the only one in school.
More T names
The most-given names starting with T, all years combined.
Teresa#908 · Theresa#1548 · Tiffany#878 · Tammy#3645 · Taylor#403 · Tina#2778 · Tracy#2153 · Thelma#4661
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Tom? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Tom and another name?
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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