How Many People Are Named Thomas?
An estimated 1,548,322 people in the United States have the first name Thomas, ranking it #12 among all first names. It is almost exclusively a male name. The average bearer is 55 years old, and Thomas peaked in popularity in 1952 with 48,728 births that year. It has a similar number of bearers to Mary (1,492,757).
Below you will find a full statistical profile of Thomas as a first name in the United States, including gender data, a year-by-year popularity timeline going back to 1880, a decade breakdown, and state-by-state birth registrations. You can also check how many people share the full name Thomas paired with any surname.
Key Insights
- While Thomas is overwhelmingly male, 8,504 female births have been registered with this name since 1880.
Estimated Living Americans
1,548,322
About 1 in 221 people in the U.S.
Rarity
Very Common
Predicted Gender
Male
99.6% confidence
Average Age
55
years old
Peak Year
1952
48,728 births
Total Registered
2,360,128
since 1880
Gender Distribution for Thomas
Thomas is almost exclusively a male name. Out of 2,360,128 total births registered, 99.6% were male.
Thomas as a male name
Ranked #39 in 2024
6,576 male births in 2024
Peak: 1952 (48,650 births)
Thomas as a female name
Ranked #17,412 in 2024
5 female births in 2024
Peak: 1983 (147 births)
Thomas: Popularity Over Time
SSA records for Thomas span from the 1880s to the 2020s, covering 15 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 1950s, when 455,339 babies were registered. Thomas has declined significantly from its peak in the 1950s. Recent registrations are a fraction of what they were at the name's height.
Thomas by Decade
How has Thomas tracked across different eras? The table below groups all SSA birth registrations into 10-year periods, with separate male and female counts. The colored bar shows each decade's share relative to the peak.
| Decade | Total | Male | Female | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 23,841 | 23,750 | 91 | |
| 1890s | 21,238 | 21,115 | 123 | |
| 1900s | 21,929 | 21,783 | 146 | |
| 1910s | 92,063 | 91,619 | 444 | |
| 1920s | 162,053 | 161,109 | 944 | |
| 1930s | 184,705 | 183,873 | 832 | |
| 1940s | 351,733 | 350,771 | 962 | |
| 1950s | 455,339 | 454,385 | 954 | |
| 1960s | 328,241 | 327,059 | 1,182 | |
| 1970s | 187,883 | 186,766 | 1,117 | |
| 1980s | 178,967 | 177,817 | 1,150 | |
| 1990s | 146,920 | 146,634 | 286 | |
| 2000s | 102,258 | 102,103 | 155 | |
| 2010s | 70,093 | 70,010 | 83 | |
| 2020s | 32,865 | 32,830 | 35 | |
Thomas by State
Birth registrations for Thomas span all 51 states and territories in the SSA database. The highest counts are in New York, Pennsylvania, California. The lowest are in Alaska, Wyoming, Nevada. On average, about 44,872 Thomass were registered per state.
Thomas + Last Name Combinations
How many people share a full name with Thomas as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Names Similar to Thomas
Other first names starting with T with a similar number of bearers.
Thomas: Questions and Answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Thomas?
We estimate approximately 1,548,322 people named Thomas are alive in the United States today. This is based on SSA birth records from 1880 to 2024, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables. About 1 in 221 Americans share this first name.
Is Thomas a common name?
Thomas is classified as "Very Common" and is more popular than 100% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 2,360,128 births have been registered with this name since 1880.
When was Thomas most popular?
Thomas reached peak popularity in 1952, when 48,728 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named Thomas is approximately 55 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.
Is Thomas a male name?
Thomas is predominantly male. 99.6% of people with this name are male. See the gender breakdown above for full details.
How many Thomas Smiths are there?
To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: Thomas Smith, Thomas Johnson, Thomas Williams. You can also search any combination on our homepage.
Where does this data come from?
Our estimates use Social Security Administration birth records (1880 to 2024), adjusted for survival using CDC 2023 life tables broken down by sex. The U.S. population figure (342,754,338) is from the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimate. Full methodology.
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