Contents [hide]

Thom History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Citations

Thom History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Germany
Ireland

Thom is an ancient Norman name that arrived in England after the Norman Conquest of 1066. The name Thom comes from the ancient given name Thomas, which itself is derived from the Aramaic name Teoma, meaning twin. 1

Early Origins of the Thom family

The surname Thom was first found in Essex, where John Thomme was listed at Colchester in 1311. Later, John Thoms was found in the Subsidy Rolls for Somerset in 1327. 1

Early History of the Thom family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Thom research. Another 111 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1433, 1473 and 1663 are included under the topic Early Thom History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Thom Spelling Variations

A multitude of spelling variations characterize Norman surnames. Many variations occurred because Old and Middle English lacked any definite spelling rules. The introduction of Norman French to England also had a pronounced effect, as did the court languages of Latin and French. Therefore, one person was often referred to by several different spellings in a single lifetime. The various spellings include Thom, Thomes, Thome, Toms, Tom, Thoms and others.

Early Notables of the Thom family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

Thom of Cornwall

Thom Ranking

In the United States, the name Thom is the 5,566^th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 2

Migration of the Thom family to Ireland

Some of the Thom family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Thom migration to the United States +

Many English families left England, to avoid the chaos of their homeland and migrated to the many British colonies abroad. Although the conditions on the ships were extremely cramped, and some travelers arrived diseased, starving, and destitute, once in the colonies, many of the families prospered and made valuable contributions to the cultures of what would become the United States and Canada. Research into the origins of individual families in North America has revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Thom or a variant listed above:

Thom Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

William Thom, who arrived in Lynn, Massachusetts in 1638 3

Thom Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Rosamund Thom, who settled in Boston Massachusetts in 1716
Benedictus Thom, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1749
Christian Thom, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1752 3
Hans Yerrick Thom, aged 30, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1753 3
Elias, Fred, George, Michael and William Thom, who settled in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania between 1754 and 1840
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Thom Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Jacob Thom, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1804 3
Fredk Thom, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1804 3
Johannes Thom, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1804 3
Peter Thom, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1804 3
Mary Thom, who settled in Trinity Bay in 1828
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Thom migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Thom Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Sophia Thom, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1757
Mr. Robert Thom U.E. who settled in Canada c. 1784 4

Thom Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

James Thom, who settled in St. John's, Newfoundland in 1822 5
Alexander Thom, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Ranger" in 1834
Carl Thom, aged 46, who landed in Quebec in 1868
John Thom, who settled in Burnt Island, Newfoundland in 1871 5

Thom migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Thom Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Miss Mary Thom who was convicted in Middlesex, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Brothers" on 20th November 1823, arriving in New South Wales, Australia and Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 6
Elizabeth Thom, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Blundell" in 1851 7

Thom migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Thom Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

George Thom, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1842
William D. Thom, aged 26, a labourer, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Arawa" in 1884

Contemporary Notables of the name Thom (post 1700) +

James Alexander Craig Thom (1933-2023), American author, best known for his works in the Western genre and colonial American history
Mary Thom (1944-2013), American feminist, writer, and editor
James Crawford Thom, American painter
James Alexander Thom (b. 1933), American author
William Richard Thom (1885-1960), American Democratic Party politician, U.S. Representative from Ohio 16th District, 1933-39, 1941-43, 1945-47; Candidate for Presidential Elector for Ohio, 1956 8
Ronald D. Thom, American politician, Mayor of Oregon City, Oregon, 1983 8
Peter Thom, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Wisconsin, 1900 8
Jane Thom, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from New York, 1964 8
Cameron Erskine Thom (1825-1915), American Democratic Party politician, Los Angeles County District Attorney, 1854-57, 1869-73, 1877-79; Member of California State Senate, 1858-59 8
A. P. Thom Jr., American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Virginia, 1916 8
... (Another 12 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
Seary E.R., Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland, Montreal: McGill's-Queen's Universtity Press 1998 ISBN 0-7735-1782-0
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 30th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/brothers
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) BLUNDELL 1851. Retrieved http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1851Blundell.htm
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 22) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html