Total births
844
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.
- 844
- total births
- 1917–2021
- years on record
- 1960s
- peak decade
- 23%
- born in that 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.
- 844 total births
- 1917–2021 years on record
- 1960s peak decade
- 23% born in that decade
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
844 boys have been named Thom since 1917, peaking in the 1960s, last recorded in 2021.
- 844
- total births
- 1917–2021
- years on record
- 1960s
- peak decade
- 23%
- born in that decade
1960s
Peak decade
23% of everyone ever named Thom was born in this single decade.
1961
Single peak year
32 babies were named Thom in 1961 - its busiest year on record.
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 at a glance
Last recorded 2021Peak year
1961
Current rank
Unranked
Active since
1917
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
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
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 vs 15 similarly-sized boys names
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% |
California share of Thom's total US births 3.2%
Even split
27 of 844 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 5 reporting states.
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Thom? ▼
Thom has been given to 844 babies in the U.S. since 1917, according to SSA data. Its last appearance in the data was 2021. 32 babies were born in 1961, its single highest year.
When was Thom most popular? ▼
Thom was most popular in the 1960s decade with 194 total births. The single peak year was 1961.
Where is Thom most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Thom are California (27 births), New York (6 births), Ohio (6 births).
How long has the name Thom been used? ▼
Thom has been recorded in Social Security data since 1917, spanning 105 years of data through 2021.
What names are similar to Thom? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Thomas, Thor, Thornton, Thompson, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.
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
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare 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
Thomas Boy
#39 2,358,576 births
Thor Boy
#2792 4,857 births
Thornton Boy
#10943 3,132 births
Thompson Boy
#2921 2,725 births
Thorin Boy
#1362 2,301 births
Compare Thom side by side: Thom vs Thomas Thom vs Thor Thom vs Thornton
Related Names
Names with a similar number of total births
Data Sources
Data as of June 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).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Thom: Baby Name Since 1917 - 844 Births, Peak 1961." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/thom. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
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 June 2026.