Thoma History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
The Thoma family name first began to be used in the German state of Bavaria. After the 12th century, hereditary surnames were adopted according to fairly general rules, and names that were derived from locations became particularly common. The family name Thoma is a local surname. Originally denoting the proprietorship of an estate or influence within a village, the German preposition von, which means from or of, used with local names, was taken as a mark of aristocracy. The surname Thoma was given to someone who lived in Bavaria.
Early Origins of the Thoma family
The surname Thoma was first found in Bavaria, where this surname surfaced in mediaeval times as one of the notable families of the region. From the 13th century onwards the name was associated with the great social and economic evolution which made this territory a landmark contributor to the development of the nation.
Early History of the Thoma family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Thoma research. Another 134 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1635, 1644, 1655, 1663, 1669, 1670, 1704, 1709, 1721, 1728, 1746, 1775 and 1776 are included under the topic Early Thoma History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Thoma Spelling Variations
In the medieval era, many different cultural groups lived in the German states. There are thus many regional variations of German surnames from that era. Westphalians spoke Low German, which is similar to modern Dutch. Many German names carry suffixes that identify where they came from. Others have phrases attached that identify something about the original bearer. Other variations in German names resulted from the fact that medieval scribes worked without the aid of any spelling rules. The spelling variations of the name Thoma include Thoma, Thoman, Thom, Thoms, Toma, Thomas, Tomas, Thomasius, Thoeman, Thome, Thomen, Thomme, Thomm, Demel, Dehmel and many more.
Early Notables of the Thoma family
Prominent among members of the name Thoma in this period include
- Peter Lorenz Thomas von Langenhardt (mid 17th century), Secretary of the Johannite Order of knights at Sonnenburg
- Christian Thomas (1655-1728, known as Thomasius), a philosopher and law professor at Halle
- Charles Thomas de Lorraine (1670-1704), Prince de Vaudémont, a field marshal in the Austrian army
- Antoine Thomas (1644-1709), a Belgian Jesuit priest, missionary and astronomer in China
Thoma Ranking
In the United States, the name Thoma is the 6,573rd most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 1
Thoma migration to the United States +
The great European flow of migration to North America, which began in the middle of the 17th century and continued into the 20th century, was particularly attractive to those from Bavaria who wished to escape either poverty or religious persecution. For many Bavarian tenant farmers, the chance to own their own land was a major incentive. So the widespread colonization of the United States began in 1650, when many immigrants from Germany settled in pockets in Pennsylvania, Texas, New York, Illinois, and California. In Canada, German settlement centered in Ontario and the prairie provinces. Among those of this surname listed in various historical records were:
Thoma Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
- Durst Thoma, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1761 2
- Johann Philip Thoma, who settled in Philadelphia in 1764
Thoma Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
- Christian Thoma, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1805 2
- Lorenz Thoma, aged 39, who landed in Missouri in 1840 2
- Carl Wilhelm Thoma, who settled in Texas in 1845
- Christiane Priester Thoma, who landed in America in 1850 2
- Adam Thoma, who landed in America in 1852 2
- ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Contemporary Notables of the name Thoma (post 1700) +
- Roscoe P. Thoma, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Iowa, 1940 3
- Paul Thoma, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for Pennsylvania State House of Representatives from Allegheny County 1st District, 1908 3
- Leo D. Thoma, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Iowa, 1932 3
- John Thoma, American politician, Candidate for Connecticut State House of Representatives from Stonington, 1908 3
- Ludwig Thoma (1867-1921), German author, editor, and publisher
- Kurt Thoma (1901-1971), German naval captain
- Georg Thoma (b. 1937), German Olympic skier
- Dieter Thoma (b. 1969), German Olympic ski jumper
- Busso Thoma (1899-1945), German who was hanged for his part in the July 20 assassination attempt on Hitler
- Antonius von Thoma (1829-1897), German Roman Catholic archbishop
- ... (Another 3 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Historic Events for the Thoma family +
USS Arizona
- Mr. Steven J. Thoma, American Electrician's Mate Third Class working aboard the ship "USS Arizona" when she sunk during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7th December 1941, he survived the sinking 4
Citations +
- "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)
- The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 22) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
- Pearl Harbour: USS Arizona Casualties List Pearl Harbour December 7, 1941. (Retrieved 2018, July 31st). Retrieved from http://pearl-harbor.com/arizona/casualtylist.html