Thomas (name)

Summary

Thomas is a male name of Aramaic origins. The English spelling "Thomas" is a transliteration through Latin "Thomas", of the approximate Greek transliteration (Greek: Θωμᾶς, romanizedThōmâs), from Aramaic "תאמא" ("tɑʔwmɑʔ"), from Classic Syriac " ܬܐܡܐ" (toma), meaning 'twin'. Thomas is recorded in the Greek New Testament as the name of Thomas the Apostle (one of the twelve apostles of Jesus).

Thomas
Pronunciation/ˈtɒməs/
French: [tɔmɑ]
German: [ˈtoːmas]
Dutch: [ˈtoːmɑs]
GenderMale
Name dayJuly 3
Origin
Language(s)Aramaic, Hebrew, Arabic
Meaning"twin", "alike-looking man"
Other names
Related namesTom, Tommaso, Thompson, Tomé, Tŏmas, Tomas, Tomass, Tomás, Tomáš, Tomasz, Tomaž, Tomaz, Tommy, Tamás, Thom, Thomáz, Touma, Tomaş
See alsoAndrew
Charles
Herman

Etymology edit

The masculine noun תאם (Tôm) occurs throughout Semitic languages, always meaning 'twin'.[1]

Popularity edit

Various historical figures such as Thomas Aquinas and Thomas Jefferson have borne the name. This list of people with given name Thomas contains others.

Europe edit

Thomas was a popular name throughout medieval Europe. In Britain the name was rare prior to the Norman Conquest (11th century CE), but by the 13th and 14th centuries it had become common. In 2017 it ranked 13th in popularity in the United Kingdom with 3,246 babies given the name.[2]

United States edit

The Social Security Administration lists the name Thomas as the ninth most popular name in the United States over the past 100 years.[3] In 2017 it ranked 48th in popularity with 7,131 babies given the name.[4]

In other languages edit

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ "The amazing name Thomas: meaning and etymology". Abarim Publications. Retrieved 7 December 2018.
  2. ^ Elliott, Annabel Fenwick (18 May 2018). "The most popular baby names in countries around the world – and what they mean". The Telegraph. Retrieved 6 December 2018.
  3. ^ "Top Names Over the Last 100 Years". www.ssa.gov. Retrieved 6 December 2018.
  4. ^ "Popular Baby Names". www.ssa.gov. Archived from the original on 2 February 2018. Retrieved 6 December 2018.