# Thomson (first name)

Source: https://namelineage.com/first-name/thomson/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. US counts from the Social Security Administration; England and Wales counts from the Office for National Statistics; meaning and etymology from Wiktionary. Data updated 2026-11-11.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Usually given to | boys |
| Origin | not recorded |
| Meaning | “son of thomas”, “mactavish” |
| Pronunciation | /ˈtɑm.sən/, 2 syllables |
| Nicknames | none recorded |
| Variant spellings | Tomson, Thompson, Tompson, Thomason, Thomasson |
| US babies named this | 245 since 1880 |
| Boys / girls in the US | 245 / 0 (0% girls) |
| Babies in England and Wales | 8, 1996 to 2025 |

## Etymology

From Tom + -son, originally meaning "son of Thomas". In some instances of people so named, a calque of Scottish Gaelic MacTamhais (“MacTavish”). Also an anglicisation of the Gaelic name MacTamhais, meaning "son of Thomas". Many with the name MacTavish changed their name to Thomson and Thompson after Culloden. Being derived from Thomas ultimately gives this surname an Aramaic derivation - teoma 'twin'.

## Popularity

The last 15 years of each series. A year is missing when too few babies were given the name for the agency to publish it: five in the US, three in England and Wales.

### United States, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | 7 | 10,546 |
| 2007 | 5 | 14,193 |
| 2008 | 7 | 10,925 |
| 2009 | 8 | 9,769 |
| 2012 | 7 | 10,644 |
| 2013 | 5 | 13,861 |
| 2014 | 10 | 8,062 |
| 2015 | 7 | 10,518 |
| 2016 | 15 | 6,028 |
| 2017 | 5 | 14,061 |
| 2019 | 5 | 13,936 |
| 2020 | 5 | 13,856 |
| 2021 | 5 | 13,882 |
| 2023 | 6 | 12,102 |
| 2025 | 5 | 13,694 |

### England and Wales, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 3 | 3,849 |
| 2020 | 5 | 3,334 |

## In other languages

- Chinese: 湯姆森 /汤姆森
- Italian: Di Tommaso, Tommasi

## People named Thomson

- Armistead Thomson Mason, American politician (1787-1819)
- John Stonehouse, British politician & novelist (1925-1988)

## How to read these numbers

A count is babies registered with that name in that year, not people alive now, so a name common a century ago can have a large total and few recent births.