How common is the surname Tomlin?

11,797 people in the United States had the surname Tomlin in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 26,172 Americans. It ranked 3,036th of 162,253 surnames.

Who is the most famous person named Tomlin?

Lily Tomlin, American actress, followed by Chris Tomlin.

Where is the surname Tomlin most common?

Wikidata records people named Tomlin in the United States.

Is the surname Tomlin getting more or less common?

More common. 11,397 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 11,797 in 2010, up 3.5%.

Is Tomlin also a first name?

Yes. Tomlin 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 Tomlin

A patronymic surname, carried by 11,797 people in the United States.

2 syllables Soundex T545

Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). Tomlin is more common than 98.1% of them.

Origin

From a medieval diminutive form of the given name Thomas.

Tomlin 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 11,797 people named Tomlin in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 26,172 Americans. That is up 3.5% since 2000, when the Census counted 11,397.

#3,036

rank among US surnames

11,797

people in 2010

4.0

per 100,000 Americans

+3.5%

change since 2000 (was #2,888)

Rank	Surname	People	1 in
#3,027	Brumfield	11,842	26,072
#3,028	Lankford	11,834	26,090
#3,029	Bolanos	11,829	26,101
#3,031	Shanks	11,822	26,116
#3,032	O'Sullivan	11,818	26,125
#3,033	Delvalle	11,816	26,129
#3,034	Hite	11,810	26,143

Who is named Tomlin

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

76% of people named Tomlin identified as white (not Hispanic), 19% as Black (not Hispanic) and 2.1% as Hispanic or Latino (any race).

White (not Hispanic) 76%
Black (not Hispanic) 19%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 2.1%
Two or more races 2.0%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.5%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.5%

Compare: most common surnames among white Americans.

Famous Tomlins

5 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

Lily Tomlin
American actress, born 1939
Chris Tomlin
American Christian musician, born 1972
Mike Tomlin
American football coach (born 1972)
Bradley Walker Tomlin
American artist (1899-1953)
Nae'Qwan Tomlin
American basketball player, born 2000

Spellings and sound-alikes

Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

Variant spellings

Toulmin

Surnames that sound like Tomlin

Tomlin has the Soundex code T545, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code T545.

Questions

Where does the surname Tomlin come from?: From a medieval diminutive form of the given name Thomas.
How common is the surname Tomlin?: 11,797 people in the United States had the surname Tomlin in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 26,172 Americans. It ranked 3,036th of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname Tomlin?: In the 2010 Census, 76% of people named Tomlin identified as white (not Hispanic), and 19% as Black (not Hispanic).
Who is the most famous person named Tomlin?: Lily Tomlin, American actress, followed by Chris Tomlin.
Where is the surname Tomlin most common?: Wikidata records people named Tomlin in the United States.
What type of surname is Tomlin?: Tomlin is a patronymic surname, formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name.
Is the surname Tomlin getting more or less common?: More common. 11,397 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 11,797 in 2010, up 3.5%.
What are other spellings of Tomlin?: Toulmin.
Is Tomlin also a first name?: Yes. Tomlin 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.