Top 40 US name Boys' name Peak 1952 2,351,624 births

Thomas — #39 US boys' name

2,351,624 babies named Thomas in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1952. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.

1880s237501890s211151900s217831910s916191920s1611091930s1838731940s3507711950s4543851960s3270591970s1867661980s1778171990s1466342000s1021032010s700102020s32830
#39
of 14,243 boys in use

More common than 99.7% of names given to boys today.

1950s
Peak decade

19% of everyone ever named Thomas was born in this single decade.

1952
Single peak year

48,650 babies were named Thomas in 1952 — its busiest year on record.

What the Data Says About Thomas

The Social Security Administration has registered 2,351,624 babies named Thomas between 1880 and 2024, spanning 145 consecutive years of U.S. birth records. As a boy's name, Thomas currently holds the #39 rank among boys for 2024. The name reached its historical peak in 1952, when 48,650 babies received it in a single year.

Decade-level aggregation shows that Thomas performed strongest in the 1950s, accumulating 454,385 births during that ten-year window. Across the 15 decades of recorded activity, Thomas shows a clear decline from its mid-century high. Geographically, the name is most concentrated in New York, which accounts for 242,282 births — the largest state-level total in the dataset — followed by Pennsylvania and California. In total, SSA state-level files list Thomas in 51 of the 51 U.S. reporting jurisdictions.

No etymological entry is currently available for Thomas in our reference dataset. These figures derive from SSA's annual national and state-level name files, which include any name appearing at least five times in a given year or state-year; names below that threshold are suppressed for privacy and therefore excluded from the totals shown here. The 2,351,624 total represents a lower bound — actual usage may be higher in years or states where the count fell below the disclosure floor. This page is provided for informational and research purposes only and does not constitute personal, legal, or naming advice.

Thomas at a glance

Top 100 boys' name

Total births

2,351,624

Since 1880

145 years of records

Peak year

1952

48,650 births that year

Strongest decade: 1950s

Current rank

#39

In the top 100

As of 2024

Active since

1880

Recorded for 145 years

Last year on file: 2024

Thomas popularity over time — boys

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 2024–1880

Top 100 boys' name
Peak year (1952)
48,650
Annual births at peak — across 145 years of records
-20,000020,00040,00060,000 202420051986196719481929191018911880 2,534

Thomas popularity over time — girls

8,504 total births recorded since 1880 (Thomas as girls' name)

Unisex variant — 8,504 births
-50050100150200 202420041986196819501932191418961880 8

Thomas by decade

Total births in each ten-year window — peak vs trough at a glance

Peak: 1950s
Peak decade
1950s
454,385 births that decade — 19% of Thomas's all-time total
1880s237501890s211151900s217831910s916191920s1611091930s1838731940s3507711950s4543851960s3270591970s1867661980s1778171990s1466342000s1021032010s700102020s32830

Thomas by state

Where Thomas concentrates geographically — total births since 1880

Geographically diffuse
Top 8 states by recorded births for the name Thomas
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 New York
242,282 10.3%
#2 Pennsylvania
183,720 7.8%
#3 California
135,867 5.8%
#4 Illinois
133,798 5.7%
#5 Ohio
132,670 5.6%
#6 Michigan
105,767 4.5%
#7 New Jersey
94,791 4.0%
#8 Texas
92,251 3.9%
New York share of Thomas's total US births 10.3%
Even split

242,282 of 2,351,624 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.

Thomas appears in 51 states. Explore state details →

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Thomas?
2,351,624 babies have been named Thomas since 1880. It currently ranks #39 among boys. The peak year was 1952 with 48,650 births.
When was Thomas most popular?
Thomas was most popular in the 1950s decade with 454,385 total births. The single peak year was 1952.
Where is Thomas most popular?
The top states for the name Thomas are New York (242,282 births), Pennsylvania (183,720 births), California (135,867 births).
How long has the name Thomas been used?
Thomas has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 145 years of data through 2024.
What names are similar to Thomas?
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Thor, Thornton, Thompson, Thorin, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.

Keep exploring Thomas

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Data Sources

Data as of 2024. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).

Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications — National Data, 1880–2024 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames). National-level data includes all names with 5 or more occurrences in a given year.

State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names — State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip). Includes all names with 5 or more occurrences per state per year; rarer names are excluded for privacy.