Boys' name · since 1917
Thom
844 babies named Thom in U.S. Social Security records since 1917, with the highest year being 1961. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #5,718 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- 844
- born since 1917
- 1960s
- peak decade
Thom sits outside today's top ranks for boys, with 844 recorded since 1917.
Thom has 844 recorded births among boys since 1917, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, though it falls outside today's most-used boys names, busiest in the 1960s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1917 to 2021.
- #5,718 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- 844 born since 1917
- 1960s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Thom ranks #5,718 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first). 844 born since 1917, peaking in the 1960s.
- #5,718 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- 844
- born since 1917
- 1960s
- peak decade
Thom's 844 recorded births place it above 87.42% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
The state file records this name in 5 jurisdictions, led by California.
Thom's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Thom splits its recorded history at 1966: 37% of all births land in the more recent half, 63% in the earlier half, leaning more toward its earlier era than today's. The single quietest year was 1987 (5 births) -- compare that against the 1961 peak of 32 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Thom popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1917–2021
- Peak year (1961)
- 32
- Annual births at peak, across 105 years of records
Thom by decade
1960s is the heaviest window (194 births, 23% of the file).
1960s was Thom's strongest decade.
194 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 23% of all-time use.
Thom births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1910s 7
1910s
7 births
- 1920s 6
1920s
6 births
- 1930s 32
1930s
32 births
- 1940s
1940s
178 births
- 1950s
1950s
187 births
- 1960s
1960s
194 births
- 1970s
1970s
99 births
- 1980s
1980s
93 births
- 1990s 28
1990s
28 births
- 2010s 15
2010s
15 births
- 2020s 5
2020s
5 births
What this shows Peak: 1960s at 194 births (23% of all-time use).
How Thom compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 boys names closest to Thom's total volume
Thom by state
Where Thom concentrates geographically, total births since 1917
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 27 | 3.2% |
| #2 | New York | | 6 | 0.7% |
| #3 | Ohio | | 6 | 0.7% |
| #4 | Illinois | | 5 | 0.6% |
| #5 | Michigan | | 5 | 0.6% |
27 of 844 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 5 reporting states.
Frequently Asked Questions
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What to do with Thom's data
- Thom's decade-level peak was the 1960s (194 total births); usage has since declined to 5 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Thoms (27 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Thom
Nearby Names Like Thom
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Thom
Compare Thom side by side: Thom vs Thomas Thom vs Thor Thom vs Thornton
Related Names
Names with a similar number of total births
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Thom: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1961)
Similar record span (~104 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1917–2021 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Thom draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.