Meaning of Last Name

Thomas is a common surname used in English, French, German, Dutch, Danish, and southern India (Nasrani). It derives from the medieval personal name, of Biblical origin, from Aramaic t’om’a, a byname meaning ‘twin’. It was borne by one of the disciples of Christ, best known for his scepticism about Christ's resurrection (John 20:24–29). The th- spelling is organic, the initial letter of the name in the Greek New Testament being a theta. The English pronunciation as t rather than th- is the result of French influence from an early date. In Britain the surname is widely distributed throughout the country, but especially common in Wales and Cornwall. Thomas is the ninth most common surname in the United Kingdom. It is found as a personal name among Christians in India, and in the U.S. is used as a family name among families from southern India. In the 1990 United States Census, Thomas was the twelfth most common surname, accounting for 0.3% of the population.