How common is the surname Thomson?

24,750 people in the United States had the surname Thomson in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 12,475 Americans. It ranked 1,440th of 162,253 surnames.

Who is the most famous person named Thomson?

Elihu Thomson, American inventor (1853–1937), followed by Mick Thomson.

Where is the surname Thomson most common?

Wikidata records people named Thomson in the United States, Australia and the United Kingdom and 3 other countries.

How do you pronounce Thomson?

Thomson is /ˈtɑm.sən/, 2 syllables.

Is the surname Thomson getting more or less common?

More common. 24,174 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 24,750 in 2010, up 2.4%.

What are other spellings of Thomson?

Tomson, Thompson, Tompson, Thomason and Thomasson.

Is Thomson also a first name?

Yes. Thomson is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.

The surname Thomson

A patronymic surname, carried by 24,750 people in the United States.

Pronounced /ˈtɑm.sən/ 2 syllables Soundex T525 Also a first name

Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). Thomson is more common than 99.1% of them.

Origin

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'.

Thomson is a patronymic surname: formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name.

Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

How common it is

2010 US Census

There were 24,750 people named Thomson in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 12,475 Americans. That is up 2.4% since 2000, when the Census counted 24,174.

#1,440

rank among US surnames

24,750

people in 2010

8.4

per 100,000 Americans

+2.4%

change since 2000 (was #1,341)

Rank	Surname	People	1 in
#1,431	Duong	24,870	12,414
#1,432	Edmonds	24,857	12,421
#1,433	Gomes	24,827	12,436
#1,434	Buckner	24,822	12,438
#1,435	Walden	24,821	12,439
#1,436	Hutchison	24,820	12,439
#1,437	Griggs	24,819	12,440

Who is named Thomson

Race and Hispanic origin as people reported it in the 2010 Census

90% of people named Thomson identified as white (not Hispanic), 4.0% as Black (not Hispanic) and 2.6% as Hispanic or Latino (any race).

White (not Hispanic) 90%
Black (not Hispanic) 4.0%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 2.6%
Two or more races 1.8%
Asian and Pacific Islander 1.3%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.5%

Compare: most common surnames among white Americans.

Famous Thomsons

32 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

Elihu Thomson
American inventor (1853–1937)
Mick Thomson
American guitarist, born 1973
Virgil Thomson
American composer and critic (1896–1989)
Judith Jarvis Thomson
American philosopher (1929-2020)
Anna Thomson
American actress, born 1953
Earl Foster Thomson
American equestrian (1900-1971)
Johnny Thomson
American racing driver, 1922–1960
Cassi Thomson
Australian-born American actress and singer, born 1993
Peter Thomson
Australian professional golfer (1929–2018)
Fred Thomson
American actor (1890-1928)
James Thomson
British engineer (1822–1892)
César Thomson
Belgian musician (1857–1931)

Notable Thomsons come mostly from the United States (16), Australia (6) and the United Kingdom (6).

Spellings and sound-alikes

Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

Variant spellings

Surnames that sound like Thomson

Thomson has the Soundex code T525, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code T525.

Questions

Where does the surname Thomson come from?: 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…
How common is the surname Thomson?: 24,750 people in the United States had the surname Thomson in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 12,475 Americans. It ranked 1,440th of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname Thomson?: In the 2010 Census, 90% of people named Thomson identified as white (not Hispanic), and 4.0% as Black (not Hispanic).
Who is the most famous person named Thomson?: Elihu Thomson, American inventor (1853–1937), followed by Mick Thomson.
Where is the surname Thomson most common?: Wikidata records people named Thomson in the United States, Australia and the United Kingdom and 3 other countries.
How do you pronounce Thomson?: Thomson is /ˈtɑm.sən/, 2 syllables.
What type of surname is Thomson?: Thomson is a patronymic surname, formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name.
Is the surname Thomson getting more or less common?: More common. 24,174 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 24,750 in 2010, up 2.4%.
What are other spellings of Thomson?: Tomson, Thompson, Tompson, Thomason and Thomasson.
Is Thomson also a first name?: Yes. Thomson is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.