Tom
Masculine · “Short for Thomas”
Tom is overwhelmingly a boys’ name — 139,756 boys against 614 girls since 1880. See Tom as a girl 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 was already in use when US birth records began in 1880 — it is at least 145 years old. The typical Tom alive today was born around 1948, making them about 77 years old. About 69,500 people named Tom are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Tom most popular?
Tom peaked in 1880, reaching #40 nationally. Today it ranks #2183, 2,143 places below that high. See the whole 1880 chart.
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
- 1880
- Most boys named
- 19604,894 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #40reached in 1880
- Change vs 2022
- +8.3%65 in 2025, from 60
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
Strongest US states over the last decade: California, Texas, New York. INSEE rounds every published count to the nearest five for statistical confidentiality; the ranks are calculated from the exact figures. International figures from INSEE. Sources
Toms among us
people named Tom are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 boy in 26,278 born in 2025 was named Tom
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
Fashion outlook
Tom sits in the calm middle of the cycle — neither chasing a wave nor sliding off one. Middle-of-the-cycle names age slowly and predictably.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Where Tom is headed
Tom is easing off slowly — about 15% fewer babies a year by 2030 if the trend continues.
Medium confidence — fitted on official counts through 2025.
A damped-trend projection of the official birth data — a sketch of momentum, not a promise. Every name's forecast, ranked.
Tom beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Tom in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US boys given each name in 2025.
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
Masculine · #2183 in the U.S.
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 69,500 people named Tom are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Tom in 2025?
- Tom ranks #2183 among US boy names in 2025, with 65 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Tom?
- About 1 in every 26,278 US boys born in 2025 was named Tom — 65 in all.
- Will my child share the name Tom with classmates?
- Tom will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Tom
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Eastyn#2183 · Carsen#2183 · Cylas#2183 · Fynn#2183 · Lyndon#2183 · Chet#2183 · Buckley#2183 · Matheus#2183
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Tom? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Tom and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
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Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
US figures from the Social Security Administration; international figures from national statistics agencies. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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