UK surname
A variant spelling of the English surname Thomas, meaning "twin."
In the 1881 census there were 1 people recorded with the Thoams surname, ranking it #34,027 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 14, ranked #37,178, down from #34,027 in 1881.
The strongest historical links point to Wolverhampton, Ruabon and Llangian. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include No data.
Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Thoams is 143 in 1891. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 1300.0%.
1881 census count
1
Ranked #34,027
Modern count
14
2016, ranked #37,178
Peak year
1891
143 bearers
Map years
1
1891 to 1891
Key insights
Map
Back to topThe map shows where the Thoams surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.
Distribution map
Thoams surname density by area, 1891 census.
Timeline
Back to topThe table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.
| Year | Period | Count | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1851 | historical | 12 | #31,134 |
| 1861 | historical | 79 | #23,702 |
| 1881 | historical | 1 | #34,027 |
| 1891 | historical | 143 | #18,920 |
| 1901 | historical | 7 | #33,435 |
| 1997 | modern | 51 | #32,545 |
| 1998 | modern | 40 | #33,856 |
| 1999 | modern | 28 | #35,127 |
| 2000 | modern | 17 | #36,207 |
| 2001 | modern | 11 | #36,727 |
| 2002 | modern | 7 | #37,379 |
| 2003 | modern | 4 | #37,951 |
| 2004 | modern | 4 | #38,013 |
| 2005 | modern | 5 | #37,885 |
| 2006 | modern | 9 | #37,345 |
| 2007 | modern | 12 | #37,095 |
| 2008 | modern | 12 | #37,143 |
| 2009 | modern | 14 | #37,041 |
| 2010 | modern | 15 | #37,038 |
| 2011 | modern | 16 | #36,932 |
| 2012 | modern | 12 | #37,292 |
| 2013 | modern | 10 | #37,539 |
| 2014 | modern | 11 | #37,462 |
| 2015 | modern | 13 | #37,251 |
| 2016 | modern | 14 | #37,178 |
Geography
Back to topHistorical parish links are strongest around Wolverhampton, Ruabon, Llangian, Neston and Cadoxton. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.
The modern local-area list points to No data. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.
| Rank | Parish | Area |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wolverhampton | Staffordshire |
| 2 | Ruabon | Denbighshire |
| 3 | Llangian | Carnarvonshire |
| 4 | Neston | Cheshire |
| 5 | Cadoxton | Glamorganshire |
| Rank | Area | District |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | No data | No data |
Forenames
Back to topThese lists show first names that appear often with the Thoams surname in historical and recent records.
Recent female names
Recent male names
Modern profile
Back to topModern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Thoams, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.
These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.
The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.
UK neighbourhood type
Supergroup
No data
Group
No data
Nationally, the Thoams surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as No data, within No data. This does not mean every Thoams household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.
London neighbourhood type
Supergroup
No data
Group
No data
Within London, Thoams is most associated with areas classed as No data, part of No data. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.
Broadband speed
The modern neighbourhood pattern for Thoams is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of No data.
Area snapshot
This describes the area pattern most associated with Thoams, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.
Origin
Back to topThe surname Thoams is quite rare and appears to have emerged from a transpositional misspelling of the more common surname Thomas. The Thomas surname originates from the biblical name Thomas, meaning "twin" in Aramaic. The surname Thomas is believed to have appeared in England during the medieval period, spreading from the Norman Conquest onwards. It's primarily derived from the personal name Thomas, which gained popularity through St. Thomas the Apostle.
Medieval English records first show the more common form, Thomas, in the Domesday Book of 1086, listing individuals such as Thomas de Bréauté. While the surname Thoams is not found in the Domesday Book, it likely emerged over time due to clerical errors or regional dialects influencing spelling and transcription variants.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Thoams appears in a 14th-century parish register in Yorkshire. A record from 1374 mentions a John Thoams, living in what is now the city of Leeds. Over the centuries, the Thoams surname continued to be relatively obscure but appeared sporadically in various legal documents and parish books.
Among the individuals bearing the Thoams surname was Richard Thoams, a notable figure recorded in the 1572 tax records of London. There is also a record of Ann Thoams, born in 1620, who was a midwife in the region of East Anglia. In the early 18th century, we find William Thoams, a farmer in Somerset, listed in the Hearth Tax returns of 1715.
Moving into the 19th century, Samuel Thoams, born in 1802 and deceased in 1867, served as a parish clerk in a small village in Cornwall. Lastly, Emily Thoams, born in 1851, was a notable suffragette and community organizer in the late 19th century. Her efforts contributed significantly to the women's rights movement in the West Country of England.
These historical instances demonstrate the infrequent but consistent appearances of the surname Thoams, often derived from the more commonly known Thomas, maintaining a modest footprint across centuries in various regions of England.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
1881 census detail
Back to topThese tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Thoams surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.
Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Hampshire leads with 1 Thoams' recorded in 1881 and an index of 50.51x.
| County | Total | Index |
|---|---|---|
| Hampshire | 1 | 50.51x |
Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Southampton in Hampshire leads with 1 Thoams' recorded in 1881 and an index of 0.00x.
| Place | Total | Index |
|---|---|---|
| Southampton | 1 | 0.00x |
These are the male first names most often recorded with the Thoams surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.
| Name | Count |
|---|---|
| George | 1 |
Occupational titles are kept as recorded and later transcribed, so related jobs, spelling variants and mistakes stay separate. Scholar was the census term for a child in education. That means the other rows often tell you more about adult work in Thoams households.
| Occupation | Count |
|---|---|
| Mate | 1 |
FAQ
In 1881, 1 people were recorded with the Thoams surname. That placed it at #34,027 in the surname rankings for that year.
The latest modern count shown here is 14 in 2016. That gives Thoams a modern rank of #37,178.
A variant spelling of the English surname Thomas, meaning "twin."
The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Thoams bearers relative to the surrounding population.
The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.