Thomas History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Etymology of Thomas

What does the name Thomas mean?

The roots of the surname Thomas lie in the rugged landscape of Wales. Thomas was a popular Medieval given throughout Europe, coming from the popular biblical name. It is ultimately derived from the Aramaic personal name meaning “twin.” Prior to the Norman Conquest, this name was rarely found, but by the 13th and 14th centuries, it became extremely common in Britain.

Early Origins of the Thomas family

The surname Thomas was first found in Breconshire (Welsh: Sir Frycheiniog), a traditional county in southern Wales, which takes its name from the Welsh kingdom of Brycheiniog (5th-10th centuries), where the family claims descendance from Owen Glendower, Lord of Glyndwyrdwy, Prince of South Wales.

Early History of the Thomas family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Thomas research. Another 97 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1613, 1633, 1654, 1656, 1665, 1677, 1683, 1689 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Thomas History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Thomas Spelling Variations

Welsh surnames are relatively few in number, but they have an inordinately large number of spelling variations. There are many factors that explain the preponderance of Welsh variants, but the earliest is found during the Middle Ages when Welsh surnames came into use. Scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, which often resulted in a single person’s name being inconsistently recorded over his lifetime. The transliteration of Welsh names into English also accounts for many of the spelling variations: the unique Brythonic Celtic language of the Welsh had many sounds the English language was incapable of accurately reproducing. It was also common for members of a same surname to change their names slightly, in order to signify a branch loyalty within the family, a religious adherence, or even patriotic affiliations. For all of these reasons, the many spelling variations of particular Welsh names are very important. The surname Thomas has occasionally been spelled Thomas, Tomas, MacThomas, FitzThomas, Thomasett and others.

Early Notables of the Thomas family

Prominent amongst the family during the late Middle Ages was

• Sir William Thomas of Folkington
• Rt. Rev. William Thomas D.D. (1613-1689), a Welsh Anglican bishop, Dean of Worcester (1665-1683), Bishop of St David’s (1677-1683) and Bishop of Worcester (1683-1689)

Thomas World Ranking

In the United Kingdom, the name Thomas is the 8^th most popular surname with an estimated 162,177 people with that name. 1 However, in Australia, the name Thomas is ranked the 13^rd most popular surname with an estimated 57,043 people with that name. 2 And in New Zealand, the name Thomas is the 26^th popular surname with an estimated 5,802 people with that name. 3 Canada ranks Thomas as 42^nd with 41,057 people. 4 Quebec, Canada ranks Thomas as 419^th. 5 Newfoundland, Canada ranks Thomas as 187^th with 219 people. 6 The United States ranks Thomas as 12^nd with 773,457 people. 7 France ranks Thomas as 4^th with 95,387 people. 8 Netherlands ranks Thomas as 689^th with 2,710 people. 9 South Africa ranks Thomas as 203^rd with 31,908 people. 10