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Thomas (surname)

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Thomas
Origin
Meaning"son of Thomas"
Region of originGreat Britain, France, Germany, and Netherlands

Thomas is a common surname of English, Welsh, Irish, Scottish, French, German, Dutch, and Danish origin.[1][2]

It derives from the medieval personal name, of Biblical origin, from Aramaic תאומא t'om'a, a byname meaning 'twin'. It was borne by one of the disciples of Christ, best known for his skepticism about Christ's resurrection (John 20:24–29). The th- spelling in English results from the initial letter of the name in the Greek New Testament being a theta. The English pronunciation as t rather than a dental fricative is the result of French influence from an early date. In Britain, the surname is widely distributed throughout the country, but especially common in Cornwall and Wales. Thomas is the ninth most common surname in the United Kingdom.[3] It is found as a personal name among Christians in India, and in the United States; it is also used as a family name among the Saint Thomas Christian families from Kerala, South India.[4]

In the 1990 United States Census, Thomas was the twelfth most common surname, accounting for 0.3% of the population.[5]

In France, Thomas (pronounced [tɔma]) is the third most widespread surname after Martin and Bernard, with over 100,000 people with this name.[6]

People

Surnames

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B

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D

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F

G

H

I

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O

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Y

  • Yann Thomas (born 1990), English rugby union footballer

Z

Fictional characters

See also

References

  1. ^ "Last name: Thomas".
  2. ^ "Thomas History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms".
  3. ^ "Thomas Surname Meaning, Origins & Distribution". forebears.co.uk. Retrieved 2018-05-03.
  4. ^ Dictionary of American Family Names. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-508137-4.
  5. ^ United States Census Bureau (9 May 1995). s:1990 Census Name Files dist.all.last (1-100). Retrieved on 4 July 2008.
  6. ^ "NotreFamille.com – Le Magazine des Mamans | Surname Thomas in France". notrefamille.com. Archived from the original on 2011-07-21. Retrieved 2018-05-03.
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