NameCensus.

UK name, mostly boys

Tommy

A diminutive masculine name derived from the Middle English given name Thomas.

For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2024. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.

Tommy is mostly registered for boys in the UK records. People looking for Tommy popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #39, with 1,324 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2020, with 2,013 births.

This profile covers 25,300 England and Wales registrations across 29 recorded years from 1996 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, NRS Scotland and NISRA Northern Ireland, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.

The latest count is about 66% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.

We estimate that about 27,417 living people in the UK are called Tommy. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2025 or 2026.

Key insights

  • Tommy ranked #39 for boys in England and Wales in 2024, with 1,324 registrations.
  • The name peaked in 2020, when 2,013 boys were registered as Tommy.
  • Tommy ranks best in North East in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #8 in 2023.
  • About 27,417 living people in the UK are estimated to have Tommy as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
  • Across the England and Wales records shown here, 100.0% of Tommy registrations are for boys.

Latest rank (E&W)

#39

2024

Births in 2024

1,324

Latest year

Peak year

2020

2,013 births

Estimated living

27,417

2026

Gender

Boy and girl registrations for Tommy

In England and Wales birth records, Tommy has been registered for both boys and girls. Across the years shown here, 100.0% of registrations are for boys and 0.0% are for girls.

These figures use the sex categories in the published baby-name files. They are useful for spotting how the name is used at registration, but they are not a live measure of gender identity or everyone living with the name today.

100% boys
Boys25,300 (100.0%)Girls3 (0.0%)

Tommy registered for boys

  • Ranked #39 in 2024
  • 1,324 boys registered in 2024
  • Peak: 2020 (2,013 births)

Tommy registered for girls

  • Ranked #3,824 in 1997
  • 3 girls registered in 1997
  • Peak: 1997 (3 births)

Meaning

What does Tommy mean?

The name Tommy is an English diminutive or hypocoristic form derived from the name Thomas. Thomas has Greek origins, with the meaning "twin" from the Aramaic word te'oma, meaning "a twin." The name was brought to Britain by the Normans after the Norman Conquest of 1066.

One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Tommy dates back to the 16th century. In 1567, a Thomas Slingsby was referred to as "Tommy Slingsby" in the English State Papers. During this time, the name Tommy was often used as a familiar form or nickname for Thomas.

Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals with the first name Tommy. One of the earliest was Tommy Townshend, an English politician who lived from 1668 to 1738. He served as a Member of Parliament for various constituencies in the early 18th century.

Another famous Tommy was Tommy Atkins, a fictitious name used to represent a typical British soldier in the 19th century. The name was used in training materials and was widely adopted as a term for soldiers in the British Army.

In the world of sports, Tommy Burns was a Scottish boxer and world heavyweight champion who lived from 1881 to 1955. He held the world heavyweight title from 1906 to 1908 and was known for his exceptional defensive skills.

Tommy Dorsey, an American trombonist, composer, and bandleader, was a prominent figure in the big band era of the 1930s and 1940s. He was born in 1905 and passed away in 1956, leaving behind a lasting legacy in the world of jazz and popular music.

Tommy Cooper was an English comedian and magician who lived from 1921 to 1984. He was known for his unique brand of humor, which often involved intentionally botched magic tricks and iconic one-liners.

These are just a few examples of notable figures throughout history who bore the first name Tommy. Despite its origins as a diminutive form of Thomas, the name Tommy has established itself as a distinct and widely recognized name in its own right.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

Popularity

Tommy over time

The chart below compares boys and girls registered as Tommy in England and Wales, from 1996 to 2024. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.

For Tommy, the clearest high point is 2020. The latest England and Wales figure is 1,324 births in 2024, compared with 2,013 at the peak.

Babies born per year

BoysGirls
05031K2K2K199620102024

Decades

Tommy by decade

Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Tommy was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.

Decade Average rank Total births Years covered
2020s #27 8,691 5
2010s #64 11,307 10
2000s #130 3,959 10
1990s #127 1,343 4

Geography

Where Tommy is most common

The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Tommy. They are useful for spotting where the name is showing up in real numbers, while the rank beside each bar shows how strongly it performs inside that region.

Tommy ranks best in North East in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #8 in 2023.

Scotland
154
North East
147
Northern Ireland
77

Across the UK

Tommy in Scotland and Northern Ireland

Scotland (NRS)

#20 in 2024

47 years of NRS records, 1,459 total registered

Northern Ireland (NISRA)

#20 in 2024

22 years of NISRA records, 833 total registered

Notable bearers

Famous people named Tommy

  • Tommy Wright

    association football coach; association football player

    British professional footballer (born 1984)

    1984-

  • Tommy Wright

    association football coach; association football player

    British footballer (born 1966)

    1966-

  • Tommy Wright

    association football coach; association football player

    Northern Ireland footballer

    1963-

  • Tommy Wilson

    association football coach; association football player

    Scottish footballer (1961-)

    1961-

  • Tommy Williams

    association football player

    Scottish footballer (born 1957)

    1957-

  • Tommy Yule

    association football coach; association football player

    British association football player (born 1953)

    1953-

  • Tommy Wilson

    artistic gymnast

    British gymnast born 1953

    1953-

  • Tommy Youlden

    association football player

    English footballer (born 1949)

    1949-

Related

Names similar to Tommy

FAQ

Tommy: questions and answers

How popular is the name Tommy in the UK right now?

In 2024, Tommy was ranked #39 for boys in England and Wales, with 1,324 births registered.

When was Tommy most popular?

The peak year on record was 2020, with 2,013 babies registered as Tommy in England and Wales.

What is the meaning and origin of Tommy?

A diminutive masculine name derived from the Middle English given name Thomas.

How many people are called Tommy in the UK?

A total of 25,300 babies have been registered as Tommy across the 29 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 1,459 more in Scotland and 833 in Northern Ireland.

Where is Tommy most common?

In the latest published local rankings, Tommy ranks best in North East, where it placed #8 in 2023. The regional bars on this page use birth counts, so they also reflect the size of each region.

Which records is this page based on?

The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.