NameCensus.

UK surname

Thomson

A patronymic surname derived from the given name Thomas, meaning "son of Thomas."

In the 1881 census there were 40,265 people recorded with the Thomson surname, ranking it #74 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 53,437, ranked #87, down from #74 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Govan Combination, Edinburgh and Dundee, Liff, Benvie and Invergowry. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Buckhaven, Denbeath and Muiredge, IZ09 and Carntyne West and Haghill.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Thomson is 53,437 in 2016. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 32.7%.

1881 census count

40,265

Ranked #74

Modern count

53,437

2016, ranked #87

Peak year

2016

53,437 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Thomson had 40,265 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #74 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 53,437 in 2016, ranked #87.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 49,359 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Thomson surname distribution map

The map shows where the Thomson surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Thomson surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

Back to top

Thomson over time

The 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 30,869 #62
1861 historical 34,454 #60
1881 historical 40,265 #74
1891 historical 44,752 #72
1901 historical 49,359 #77
1911 historical 9,724 #508
1997 modern 49,460 #88
1998 modern 51,113 #89
1999 modern 51,706 #88
2000 modern 51,470 #88
2001 modern 49,912 #89
2002 modern 51,197 #90
2003 modern 49,845 #91
2004 modern 49,887 #91
2005 modern 49,809 #90
2006 modern 49,857 #90
2007 modern 50,535 #90
2008 modern 51,035 #90
2009 modern 51,876 #90
2010 modern 52,969 #90
2011 modern 52,114 #90
2012 modern 51,328 #90
2013 modern 52,437 #90
2014 modern 53,320 #88
2015 modern 53,161 #88
2016 modern 53,437 #87

Geography

Back to top

Where Thomsons are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Govan Combination, Edinburgh, Dundee, Liff, Benvie and Invergowry, Glasgow and Paisley Abbey. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Buckhaven, Denbeath and Muiredge, IZ09, Carntyne West and Haghill, George Street and Parkhead West and Barrowfield. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Govan Combination Lanark
2 Edinburgh Edinburgh
3 Dundee, Liff, Benvie and Invergowry Forfar
4 Glasgow Lanark
5 Paisley Abbey Renfrew

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Buckhaven, Denbeath and Muiredge Fife
2 IZ09 East Lothian
3 Carntyne West and Haghill Glasgow City
4 George Street Aberdeen City
5 Parkhead West and Barrowfield Glasgow City

Forenames

Back to top

First names often paired with Thomson

These lists show first names that appear often with the Thomson surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

Back to top

Neighbourhood profile for Thomson

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Thomson, 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

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce

Group

Established but Challenged

Nationally, the Thomson surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Established but Challenged, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Thomson household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many households in these neighbourhoods comprise separated or divorced single parents with dependent children. Residents are typically born in the UK, and these neighbourhoods have relatively few members of ethnic minorities. The prevalence of children, their parents and those at or above normal retirement age, suggests neighbourhood structures may be long-established. Levels of unpaid care are high, and long-term disability is more common than in the Supergroup as a whole. Use of the social rented sector is common, often in terraced houses. Levels of overcrowding are above the Supergroup average. Unemployment is high, while those in work are employed in elementary occupations such as caring, leisure and customer services. Many residents have low level qualifications. Neighbourhood concentrations of this Group are found in the South Wales Valleys, Belfast, Londonderry and the Central Lowlands of Scotland.

Wider pattern

Living in terraced or semi-detached houses, residents of these neighbourhoods typically lack high levels of education and work in elementary or routine service occupations. Unemployment is above average. Residents are predominantly born in the UK, and residents are also predominantly from ethnic minorities. Social (but not private sector) rented sector housing is common. This Supergroup is found throughout the UK’s conurbations and industrial regions but is also an integral part of smaller towns.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Thomson is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers, part of The Greater London Mix. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Mainly located in Inner London, these neighbourhoods retain a diverse employment structure, with some concentration in associated professional and technical occupations rather than skilled trades or construction. Social renting is more common and levels of homeownership are low. Many residents identify as Black. There is a lower than average rate of marriage or civil partnership, few that are very old (85 or over) and higher than average incidence of disability.

Wider London pattern

A Supergroup embodying London's diversity in many respects, apart from low numbers of residents identifying as of Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani or Other (non-Chinese) Asian ethnicity. There is lower than average prevalence of families with dependent children, while there are above average occurrences of never-married individuals and single-person households. The age distribution is skewed towards younger, single residents and couples without children, with many individuals identifying as of mixed or multiple ethnicity. Social rented or private rented housing is slightly more prevalent than average, and many residents live in flats. Individuals typically work in professional and associated roles in public administration, education or health rather than in elementary occupations in agriculture, energy, water, construction or manufacturing. Incidence of students is slightly below average. Individuals declaring no religion are more prevalent than average and non-use of English at home is below average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Thomson is most concentrated in decile 1 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the less healthy end of the index.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

1
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Thomson falls in decile 6 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname near the middle of the scale.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

6
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Thomson is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Thomson, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Thomson

The surname THOMSON is of Scottish origin, derived from the personal name Thomas. The name Thomas itself is derived from the Aramaic name "Toma" meaning "twin." The earliest recorded instances of the surname date back to the 12th century in Scotland.

The THOMSON surname is believed to have originated in the regions of Aberdeenshire, Angus, and Perthshire in Scotland. It was initially spelled as "Thomasson" or "Thomeson" before the modern spelling of "THOMSON" became more widely adopted.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the THOMSON surname can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which documented individuals who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England. The name "William Thomessone" appears in these rolls, indicating the presence of the surname in Scotland during that time period.

The THOMSON surname is also mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of landowners and tenants in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. This suggests that the name may have had English origins as well, although the Scottish roots are more commonly accepted.

Notable figures throughout history with the surname THOMSON include:

1. James Thomson (1700-1748), a Scottish poet and playwright best known for his work "The Seasons." 2. William Thomson, 1st Baron Kelvin (1824-1907), a renowned British physicist and mathematician who made significant contributions to thermodynamics and the understanding of heat transfer. 3. Virgil Thomson (1896-1989), an American composer and music critic who influenced the development of modern classical music in the United States. 4. J.J. Thomson (1856-1940), an English physicist who discovered the electron and made groundbreaking contributions to the field of atomic physics. 5. Burt Thomson (1924-2014), a Canadian politician who served as the 28th Premier of British Columbia from 1972 to 1975.

The THOMSON surname has also been associated with various place names, such as Thomaston in Maine, USA, and Thomaskirk in Scotland, which may have influenced the development and spread of the name over time.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

Back to top

Thomson families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Thomson surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Lanarkshire leads with 8,375 Thomsons recorded in 1881 and an index of 6.63x.

County Total Index
Lanarkshire 8,375 6.63x
Midlothian 4,462 8.53x
Fife 3,001 12.99x
Aberdeenshire 2,898 8.02x
Angus 2,119 5.86x
Ayrshire 1,842 6.31x
Renfrewshire 1,546 5.11x
Middlesex 1,183 0.30x
Lancashire 1,050 0.23x
Perthshire 1,029 5.87x
Stirlingshire 990 6.88x
Dumfriesshire 813 9.43x
East Lothian 784 15.16x
Dunbartonshire 636 6.06x
Banffshire 635 7.84x
Roxburghshire 613 8.67x
Kirkcudbrightshire 562 9.95x
West Lothian 482 8.20x
Orkney 481 11.20x
Shetland 425 10.66x
Surrey 415 0.22x
Argyllshire 407 3.75x
Wigtownshire 352 6.79x
Kincardineshire 347 7.30x
Yorkshire 344 0.09x
Clackmannanshire 328 10.17x
Selkirkshire 322 9.12x
Morayshire 306 5.05x
Kent 228 0.17x
Berwickshire 189 4.00x
Peeblesshire 177 9.64x
Ross-shire 174 1.62x
Caithness 163 3.05x
Cheshire 154 0.18x
Durham 146 0.13x
Northumberland 144 0.25x
Buteshire 122 5.16x
Staffordshire 118 0.09x
Essex 109 0.14x
Cumberland 103 0.31x
Hampshire 99 0.12x
Warwickshire 93 0.09x
Kinross-shire 90 9.12x
Derbyshire 83 0.14x
Sussex 76 0.12x
Leicestershire 74 0.17x
Gloucestershire 68 0.09x
Inverness-shire 64 0.55x
Devon 45 0.06x
Nottinghamshire 43 0.08x
Bedfordshire 42 0.21x
Northamptonshire 42 0.11x
Worcestershire 41 0.08x
Lincolnshire 40 0.06x
Isle of Man 36 0.50x
Royal Navy 35 0.75x
Westmorland 35 0.41x
Somerset 33 0.05x
Berkshire 32 0.11x
Glamorgan 32 0.05x
Huntingdonshire 24 0.31x
Hertfordshire 23 0.09x
Sutherland 23 0.77x
Nairnshire 22 1.85x
Pembrokeshire 22 0.18x
Herefordshire 20 0.13x
Monmouthshire 20 0.07x
Denbighshire 17 0.12x
Suffolk 17 0.04x
Oxfordshire 16 0.07x
Cambridgeshire 15 0.06x
Brecknockshire 13 0.17x
Wiltshire 12 0.03x
Channel Islands 11 0.10x
Dorset 11 0.04x
Norfolk 11 0.02x
Rutland 10 0.35x
Cornwall 9 0.02x
Merionethshire 9 0.13x
Caernarfonshire 7 0.04x
Shropshire 7 0.02x
Anglesey 4 0.06x
Buckinghamshire 4 0.02x
Carmarthenshire 4 0.02x
Flintshire 4 0.04x
Montgomeryshire 2 0.02x
Cardiganshire 1 0.01x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Govan in Lanarkshire leads with 2,028 Thomsons recorded in 1881 and an index of 6.50x.

Place Total Index
Govan 2,028 6.50x
Barony 2,027 6.34x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 1,904 9.05x
Glasgow 1,349 6.02x
Dundee 694 5.14x
Wemyss 678 69.35x
Aberdeen Old Machar 628 8.32x
Aberdeen St Nicholas 490 7.24x
South Leith 471 8.00x
Kilmarnock 416 11.96x
Dunfermline 362 10.19x
Liff Benvie 347 6.32x
Abbey 319 6.91x
Old Monkland 309 6.17x
Hamilton 299 8.49x
New Monkland 292 7.83x
West Greenock 281 5.18x
North Leith 261 10.79x
Dalserf 213 16.91x
Alloa 210 13.43x
Bothwell 210 6.13x
Montrose 199 9.08x
Falkirk 194 5.76x
Rathven 190 12.49x
Penicuik 188 26.46x
Lesmahagow 172 12.88x
South Ronaldshay 159 35.78x
Prestonpans 156 44.99x
St Pancras London 153 0.49x
Cambusnethan 152 5.42x
Maryhill 152 6.15x
Paisley High Church 148 6.15x
Markinch 146 18.61x
Liverpool 142 0.50x
Alva 139 20.24x
East Greenock 139 4.87x
Stonehouse 139 32.46x
Annan 138 18.63x
Dumbarton 137 9.38x
Whitburn 137 16.13x
Islington London 136 0.36x
St Andrews 133 12.65x
Arbroath 130 10.85x
Dalkeith 129 12.50x
Dysart 128 8.23x
Bathgate 124 9.72x
Peterhead 124 6.49x
Unst 124 42.53x
Galashiels 123 9.42x
Polmont 122 22.95x
Shotts 118 7.81x
Cambuslang 117 9.19x
Dalry 114 8.29x
Stirling 114 6.28x
Tranent 114 16.32x
Lambeth 113 0.33x
Bonhill 111 6.59x
Duddingston 111 10.57x
Brechin 109 7.67x
Lasswade 103 8.61x
Paisley Middle Church 103 5.85x
Toxteth Park 103 0.66x
Beath 101 13.83x
Berwick North 101 27.89x
Ayr 99 7.18x
Melrose 97 10.91x
Cathcart 96 5.87x
Kirkcaldy 96 8.38x
Troqueer 96 12.95x
West Derby 95 0.70x
Dalziel 93 6.85x
Rutherglen 93 5.02x
Campbeltown 92 7.02x
West Calder 92 8.93x
Dumfries 91 10.70x
St Marylebone London 90 0.43x
Blantyre 89 6.77x
Cupar 88 8.76x
Hawick 88 5.56x
Inveresk 88 6.22x
Newbattle 87 19.47x
Edinburgh St Marys 86 8.46x
Ardrossan 85 8.41x
Cross Burness N 85 37.91x
Scoonie 85 16.99x
Stevenston 85 11.16x
Old Kilpatrick 84 6.78x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Thomson surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Mary 323
Elizabeth 169
Sarah 155
Jane 127
Margaret 120
Ann 73
Annie 69
Alice 62
Eliza 57
Ellen 56
Emma 49
Agnes 48
Emily 48
Isabella 47
Caroline 41
Catherine 40
Hannah 40
Jessie 37
Edith 33
Janet 33
Louisa 30
Martha 30
Harriet 29
Florence 27
Helen 26
Kate 25
Fanny 23
Clara 22
Maria 22
Frances 20
Anne 19
Eleanor 19
Charlotte 18
Julia 17
Ada 14
Elizth. 14
Minnie 14
Grace 13
Susan 13
Susannah 12
Esther 11
Harriett 11
Marion 11
Rose 11
Christina 10
Ethel 10
Gertrude 10
Maggie 10
Margt. 10
Sophia 10

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Thomson surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
John 311
William 299
James 235
George 179
Thomas 121
Robert 105
Charles 78
Henry 74
Joseph 66
David 60
Alexander 53
Arthur 47
Walter 43
Alfred 37
Frederick 37
Edward 34
Andrew 32
Harry 31
Peter 29
Samuel 29
Richard 28
Archibald 19
Albert 17
Frank 16
Wm. 16
Francis 15
Ernest 13
Hugh 13
Benjamin 12
Herbert 11
Adam 10
Chas. 9
Daniel 9
Edwin 9
Fred 8
Fredk. 8
Thos. 8
Douglas 7
Fredrick 7
Geo. 7
Harold 7
Matthew 7
Alex 6
Robt. 6
Sidney 6
Jas. 5
Donald 4
Isaac 4
Jonathan 4
Lewis 4

FAQ

Thomson surname: questions and answers

How common was the Thomson surname in 1881?

In 1881, 40,265 people were recorded with the Thomson surname. That placed it at #74 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Thomson surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 53,437 in 2016. That gives Thomson a modern rank of #87.

What does the Thomson surname mean?

A patronymic surname derived from the given name Thomas, meaning "son of Thomas."

What does the Thomson map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Thomson bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

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.