Explore the Family Name Tom
The meaning of Tom
1. English, Scottish, and Dutch: from a short form of the personal name Thomas, a variant of Thom in Britain. 2. Native American (e.g. Navajo): adoption of the English personal name Tom (see 1 above) as a surname. 3. Polish: from a short form of the personal name Tomasz (see Thomas). 4. Chinese: variant Romanization of the surname 譚, see Tan 1. 5. Chinese: variant Romanization of the surnames 湯 and 唐, based on their Cantonese pronunciation. See Tang 1 and 2. Some characteristic forenames: Chinese Wing, Gim, Ping, Wah, Fat, Fong, Kwai, Leung, Ming, Wai, Yee, Chee.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Tom in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname Tom saw a slight decrease in popularity between the years 2000 and 2010. In 2000, it was ranked the 3,405th most popular surname, but it dropped to 3,452nd place by 2010, marking a 1.38% decrease in rank. However, the count of individuals with this surname increased from 9,629 in 2000 to 10,350 in 2010, indicating a 7.49% growth in the number of people named Tom. Consequently, the proportion of people named Tom per 100,000 decreased by 1.68% over that decade.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #3,405 | #3,452 | -1.38% |
| Count | 9,629 | 10,350 | 7.49% |
| Proportion per 100k | 3.57 | 3.51 | -1.68% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Tom
In terms of ethnicity, the majority of individuals with the surname Tom identified as Asian/Pacific Islander according to the Decennial U.S. Census. However, there was a 5.59% decrease in this group from 2000 to 2010. The percentage of people with this surname who identify as being of two or more ethnicities increased by 24.50% over the same period. There was also a noticeable increase in the Hispanic demographic with this surname, rising by 50.68%. The proportions of people named Tom identifying as White, Black, and American Indian/Alaskan Native saw minimal changes, with increases of 1.39%, 2.61%, and 1.90% respectively.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 55.64% | 52.53% | -5.59% |
| White | 18.76% | 19.02% | 1.39% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 16.32% | 16.63% | 1.9% |
| Two or More Races | 5.55% | 6.91% | 24.5% |
| Hispanic | 2.21% | 3.33% | 50.68% |
| Black | 1.53% | 1.57% | 2.61% |
Tom ancestry composition
23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname Tom is Chinese, which comprises 44.8% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are British & Irish (14.5%) and French & German (8.8%). Additional ancestries include Japanese, Chinese Dai, Vietnamese, Indigenous American, and Eastern European.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| Chinese | 44.8% |
| British & Irish | 14.5% |
| French & German | 8.8% |
| Other | 31.9% |
Possible origins of the surname Tom
Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.
Based on 23andMe data, people with last name Tom have recent ancestry locations in China and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Guangdong, China | 56.10% |
| Shanghai, China | 51.60% |
| Jiangsu, China | 51.10% |
| Zhejiang, China | 50.70% |
| Fujian, China | 50.70% |
What Tom haplogroups can tell you
Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.
The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname Tom is O-F46, which is predominantly found among people with East Asian & Indigenous American ancestry. Haplogroup O-F46 is descended from haplogroup O-M1359. Other common haplogroups include C-M217 and O-F8, which are predominantly found among people with East Asian & Indigenous American and East Asian & Indigenous American ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Tam, Woo, Li, Wong, Guo, Zhao, Ma, Gao, Sun, Feng.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Tom surname are: H, D4, M7b. These most commonly trace back to individuals of East Asian & Indigenous American and European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins O-M1359
Your paternal lineage may be linked to many of the Massim groups of Papua New Guinea
Haplogroup O2a is prevalent among Massim ethnic groups, including the populations of Airara, Nomanby, the eastern tip of the mainland, the Trobriand Islands, Gawa, Woodlark, the Laughland Islands, and western Calvados. While Papua New Guinea has been inhabited for over 50,000 years, the Massim may have arrived in the last 2,000 years. Today, these populations remain connected through a traditional island trading system called the Kula Ring. Under this exchange system, residents ensure that goods that are only available on some islands, but that are vitally needed in other islands, are shared among the island populations. Only Massim men participate in the Kula exchange system, and it is common for men to be away from home for months at a time when trading with men from other islands.
Your maternal lineage may be linked to Marie Antoinette
Because it is so dominant in the general European population, haplogroup H also appears quite frequently in the continent's royal houses. Marie Antoinette, an Austrian Hapsburg who married into the French royal family, inherited the haplogroup from her maternal ancestors. So did Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, whose recorded genealogy traces his female line to Bavaria. Scientists also discovered that famed 16th century astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus traced his maternal lineages to haplogroup H.
What do people with the surname Tom have in common?
Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.
Preferences
Chocolate Ice Cream
Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.
"Tom" Surname 32.7%
23andMe Users 41.3%
Traits
Cheek Dimples
Small indentations that appear on the cheeks when a person smiles.
"Tom" Surname 36.4%
23andMe Users 37.6%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Tom" Surname 17.7%
23andMe Users 21.1%
Wellness
Migraine
A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.
"Tom" Surname 11.6%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Tom?
The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.
Disease variant frequency by ancestry
Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname Tom are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition