Thomas (surname)
Surname list / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dear Wikiwand AI, let's keep it short by simply answering these key questions:
Can you list the top facts and stats about Thomas (surname)?
Summarize this article for a 10 year old
Thomas is a common surname of English, Welsh, Irish, Scottish, French, German, Dutch, and Danish origin.
Origin | |
---|---|
Meaning | "son of Thomas" |
Region of origin | Great Britain, France, Germany, and Netherlands |
It derives from the medieval personal name, of Biblical origin, from Hebrew תאומא t'om'a, a byname meaning 'twin'. It was borne by one of the disciples of Christ, best known for his skepticism about Christ's resurrection (John 20, John 20:24–29). The th- spelling in English results from the initial letter of the name in the Greek New Testament being a theta. The English pronunciation as t rather than a dental fricative is the result of French influence from an early date. In Britain, the surname is widely distributed throughout the country, but especially common in Cornwall and Wales. Thomas is the ninth most common surname in the United Kingdom.[1] It is found as a personal name among Christians in India, it is also used as a family name among the Saint Thomas Christian families from Kerala, South India.[2]
In the 1990 United States Census, Thomas was the twelfth most common surname, accounting for 0.3% of the population.[3]
In France, Thomas (pronounced [tɔmɑ]) is the third most widespread surname after Martin and Bernard, with over 100,000 people with this name.[4]