Tom
Tom was the 2206th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 65 babies. Its best year was 1880, when it ranked 40th; the most babies were born in 1959 (5,068). Over the last ten years it has moved down 155 places. More babies were named Tom in the 1940s than in any other decade.
Meaning short form of Thomas, 'twin' · English, Aramaic
Say it TAHM /tɑm/
- Rank in 2025
- #2,206 boys, up 140 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 65boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 19595,068 babies
- Total since 1880
- 140,370babies recorded
What does the name Tom mean?
Tom is a short form of Thomas, from Middle English Thomme, as Wiktionary notes. Thomas is the Aramaic teʾoma 'twin', the byname of one of the twelve apostles, as DMNES notes; in the Gospel of John he is called Didymus, Greek for 'twin'. Tom has been used as an independent name since the Middle Ages; 'Tom, Dick and Harry' shows how common it was.
תְּאוֹמָא (teʾoma) (Aramaic, “twin”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Thomas, Tommy, Thom, Tomás.
See also: Aramaic names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Tom', Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Thomas', DMNES (Durham University)
Nicknames for Tom
The usual nicknames for Tom are Tommy. Some parents skip the long form: for every 100 boys named Tom in the last five years, 654 were named Tommy, against 604 twenty years earlier.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Boys, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tommy · also for Thomas, Tomas | Traditional | #658 | 1,876 |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are boys given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Toms go by each one.
Tom popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 614 since 1883.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #2,206 | 65 |
| 2020 | #2,346 | 58 |
| 2010 | #1,828 | 80 |
| 2000 | #1,311 | 99 |
| 1990 | #696 | 214 |
| 1980 | #564 | 235 |
| 1970 | #219 | 1,130 |
| 1960 | #86 | 4,894 |
| 1950 | #145 | 1,823 |
| 1940 | #92 | 2,287 |
| 1930 | #132 | 1,336 |
| 1920 | #131 | 1,207 |
| 1910 | #82 | 428 |
| 1900 | #53 | 469 |
| 1890 | #59 | 347 |
| 1880 | #40 | 399 |
How popular is Tom, counting every spelling?
Tom is the most common spelling of a name family that had 65 boys in 2025 across its spellings. Together these spellings went to 65 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tom | 65 | #2,206 | 287 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Tom?
65 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Tom (0.02 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Tom born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 129 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Tom.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Tom?
About 64,300 people born in the US named Tom are alive today, with a median age of 66; half are between 61 and 76. That makes Tom a name most people associate with older generations.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Tom by state
How common Tom was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in California (1.8×). In 47 states fewer than five boys a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Tom: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Tom, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Tom · Sibling names for Tom
Tom is also a nickname for Thomas and Tomas.
Questions about the name Tom
What does Tom mean?
Tom means “short form of Thomas, 'twin'” (English, Aramaic origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Tom?
Tom was the 2206th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 65 babies. Its best year was 1880, when it ranked 40th; the most babies were born in 1959 (5,068). Over the last ten years it has moved down 155 places. More babies were named Tom in the 1940s than in any other decade.
Is Tom a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Tom in the US.
Where is Tom most popular?
In 2021–2025, Tom was most common in California (0.06 per 1,000 boys), followed by New York and Texas.