Origin, Meaning And History of Tom
Tom is a Greek diminutive of the Aramaic name Ta’oma’ and its derivative Thomas and means ‘twin’. The name in Hebrew means ‘innocent’ or ‘naive’ and is also a form of Thom from English Scottish and Dutch, and Tomasz in Polish.
Originally a unisex nickname, this name predominantly started using as a cmasculine given name due to its association with the Biblical Apostle. Saint Thomas, according to the New Testament, was one of the twelve disciples of Jesus who is also known as Thomas the Messenger as he preached the Gospel across Asia and the Middle East. However, he is most often referred to as the ‘Doubting Thomas’ due to his disbelief in the resurrection of Christ until he saw Jesus and his wounds from the crucifixion with his own eyes.
The name became popular across England after the Norman conquest when the Tom family’s ancestors migrated to England. Another reason for the global popularity of this name is the 1876 Mark Twain adventure novel The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. The novel describes Tom as a fun-loving, humorous, mischievous, and adventurous young boy. Moreover, this novel in addition to other fictional representations with this name is assumed to be the inspiration behind idioms, phrases, and expressions such as tomfoolery, tomboy, peeping tom, tom thumb, and tom, dick, and harry.
The name Thomas and its derivative Tom are spelled as Tumas in Arabic, Tʿovmas in Armenian, Toomas in Estonian, Tuomas in Finnish, Foma in Russian, Tuma in Persian, Tomáisín in Irish, and Tamás in Hungarian. The name is also used as a surname and includes variations such as Thomasson, Thomasyne, Tomaz, Tommi, Doumas, Thom, Thomes, Thome, Toms, Toma, Tamas, Tamhas, Thamas, Tumasi, Tommasu, Tomas, and Thoms. A few feminine variations of this name include Thomasina, Tamsin, Tamsyn, and Tomine. Tommie, Tomi, and Tommy are a few nicknames for this name.
A few popular fictional characters with this name and its variant Thomas includeTomcatfrom Tom and Jerry and Talking Tom,Tom Marvolo Riddlefrom the Harry Potter series,Thomas the Tank Enginefrom Thomas and Friends,Thomas Barrowfrom the series Downton Abbey,Thomas Shelbyfrom the crime drama Peaky Blinders, and Thomas from the James Dashner novelThe Maze Runner.
How To Pronounce Tom?
Famous People With The Name Tom
- Thomas Edward Patrick Brady Jr.American football quarterback who is the oldest MVP to have played the Pro Bowl at 44 years of age
- Thomas BrandiAmerican professional boxer and four-time IPWA Heavyweight Champion
- Tom Cruise美国演员和制片人;磨破的ld’s highest-paid actors
- Tom HardyAward-winning English actor who is known for his performance in Venom, The Revenant, Inception, and Mad Max: Fury Road.
- Thomas Sidney Jerome SturridgeEnglish actor who won the Critics’ Circle Theater Award and Outer Critics Circle award for Punk Rock and Orphans
- Thomas Bryant CottonAmerican politician, attorney, and former military officer who is the junior United States senator for Arkansas since 2015
- Thomas William HiddlestonEnglish actor famous as Loki from the Marvel Universe
Tom On The Popularity Chart
The name Tom has witnessed an uneven fall in its popularity and ranking over the past few years. The following graphs outline the performance of this name in detail.
Popularity Over Time
Tom was a popular name in 1981 with 243 babies per million sharing the name. However, the name has witnessed a fall in popularity reaching its all-time low of 58 babies per million in 2020. In 2021, 64 babies per million shared this name.
Source:Social Security AdministrationRank Over Time
The name Tom was ranked highest in 1993 at 12,675 following which the name dropped in ranking towards an all-time low of 22,219 in 2007. However, the name rose in ranking in the following years and was ranked 19,747 in 2021.
Source:Social Security AdministrationNames With Similar Sound As Tom
Tom is easy on the tongue. Here are a few more names that sound similar to Tom.
Popular Sibling Names For Tom
Other Popular Names Beginning With T
Names With Similar Meaning as Tom
Tom is a short name that means twin or innocent. The following names have a similar meaning to this popular monosyllabic name.
Infographic: Know The Name’s Personality As Per Numerology
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How To Communicate The Name In Other Languages
In Nautical Flags
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In Sign Language
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In Braille Alphabet
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In Morse Code
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Name Numerology For Tom
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is the meaning of the name Tom?
The name Tom means ‘twin’ or ‘innocent.’
2. What is the origin of the name Tom?
Tom has an Aramaic origin.
3. How to pronounce the name Tom?
Tom is pronounced as tom.
4. What is Tom short for?
Tom is the masculine short form ofThomas, the Greek form of the Aramaic name Ta’oma’ meaning twin.
5. What are some variants of Tom?
Some popular variants of Tom in different languages and cultures include Thoma (Albanian), Thomas (Biblical),Tomas(Catalan),Toma, Tomica, Tomo (Croatian), Tamati (Maori), Foma (Russian), Tomasz, Tomek (Polish), Tommaso,Tomaso(Italian), and Tomos, Tomi, Twm (Welsh).
6. Is Tom a religious name?
Yes, Tom is a diminutive form of Thomas, borne by several Christian religious personalities. Thomas was one of the apostles of Jesus Christ, who traveled far and wide and reached India, where he was martyred. Saint Thomas Becket was a prominent archbishop of Canterbury and a martyr during the 12th century. Lastly, Thomas Aquinas was a famous Italian philosopher and theologian considered the Doctor of the Church.
