Toma
Masculine · “twin”
Toma is given to both — 658 boys and 216 girls since 1880. See other names given to both
Toma is the Romanian and south Slavic form of Thomas, and the name is Aramaic for a twin — which the Gospel of John translates for its readers.
How old is the name Toma?
Toma first appears in US birth records in 1973 — 52 years ago. The typical Toma alive today was born around 2000, making them about 25 years old. About 600 people named Toma are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Toma most popular?
Toma peaked in 1974, reaching #882 nationally. Today it ranks #4050, 3,168 places below that high. See the whole 1974 chart.
Where it comes from
From te'oma to Toma
The story of Toma
Thomas is the apostle who wants evidence and gets it, and the epithet doubting has followed him for two thousand years on the strength of one scene. Tradition sends him to India, where the Saint Thomas Christians of Kerala trace their church to him. Romanian, Bulgarian and Serbian give Toma, and it reaches American records with families from all of them.
Meaning
twin
From Aramaic te'oma, a twin; John gives the Greek translation Didymos alongside it, which is also twin, so the text supplies its own gloss. Whose twin he was is not stated anywhere.
How the name formed
- te'oma
- Thomas
- Toma
Related forms: Toma · Thomas · Тома · Tommaso
Pronouncing Toma
TOH-mah
Two syllables, first stressed. Romanian and Serbian give the same shape.
Nicknames for Toma
Moderate
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
- 1973
- Most boys named
- 197484 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #882reached in 1974
- Change vs 2024
- +44.4%26 in 2025, from 18
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.
Toma in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Toma in Romanian — same name
- Thomas in English — same name
- Тома in Serbian — transliteration
- Tommaso in Italian — same name
Strongest US states over the last decade: New York, California.
Tomas among us
people named Toma are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 boy in 65,695 born in 2025 was named Toma
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
The Arland test
Every popular name lives one long story — a climb, a peak, a slow settling back. Toma's later chapters haven't been written yet, so we borrowed them: Arland climbed just as high around 1935, and its whole arc is on record. Line the two peaks up, and Arland's path sketches the road Toma is walking now.
Toma 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 Toma is headed
Toma should hold steady through 2030 — the curve is flat, and flat curves are the most predictable kind. Its history is short or jumpy, though, so read this as a sketch rather than a promise.
Low 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.
Toma beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Toma in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US boys given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- A settled meaning that the Gospel text translates outright.
- Tom is available immediately as an ordinary English short form.
- Four letters and two syllables, about as easy to write as a name gets.
- Thomas is the English form and will be assumed by most Americans.
- It is used as a women's name in Japanese and some other contexts.
- The doubting epithet is well enough known to follow the name.
Nobody names a baby alone.
Put Toma to the vote.
Add it to a family vote or a couple’s swipe deck — the other person gets one card, a simple answer and room to say why. No app, no account for them.
Only the people you invite can see your list.
Already decided on Toma? Hide it among decoys and let them guess.
What they receive
Someone added a name to your list
Toma
Masculine · #4050 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Tomas are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 600 people named Toma are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Toma in 2025?
- Toma ranks #4050 among US boy names in 2025, with 26 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Toma?
- About 1 in every 65,695 US boys born in 2025 was named Toma — 26 in all.
- Will my child share the name Toma with classmates?
- Toma will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Toma
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Myer#4050 · Hewitt#4050 · Antonino#4050 · Egan#4050 · Johnmichael#4050 · Gauge#4050 · Emran#4050 · Freeman#4050
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Toma? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Toma and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
Compare side by sideIn a hurry? Just pick a winner — one tap, no sign-up, and you see how everyone else voted.
Weighing a whole shortlist? Add the rest in the builder, or settle it with a bracket.
Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
No advertising trackers and no data sellinghow we handle your dataindependent and founder-run, about Name Battle