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Thomason History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Citations

Thomason History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
France
Wales

The origins of the ancient name Thomason belong to that rich Celtic tradition that comes from Wales. This surname was derived from the Aramaic personal name Thomas, which means twin. Prior to the Norman Conquest, this name was rarely found, but by the 13th and 14th centuries, it became extremely common in Britain. The surname Thomason features the patronymic suffix -son, which superseded other patronymic suffixes in popularity by the 14th century and was most common in the north of England.

Early Origins of the Thomason family

The surname Thomason was first found in Cheshire, where they held a family seat from very ancient times before and after the Norman Conquest in 1066.

Early History of the Thomason family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Thomason research. Another 83 words (6 lines of text) covering the year 1666 is included under the topic Early Thomason History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Thomason Spelling Variations

There are relatively few surnames native to Wales, but they have an inordinately large number of spelling variations. Early variations of Welsh surnames can be explained by the fact that very few people in the early Middle Ages were literate. Priests and the few other literate people were responsible for recording names in official documents. And because most people could not specific how to properly record their names it was up to the individual recorder of that time to determine how a spoken name should be recorded. Variations due to the imprecise or improper recording of a name continued later in history when names originally composed in the Brythonic Celtic, language of Wales, known by natives as Cymraeg, were transliterated into English. Welsh names that were documented in English often changed dramatically since the native language of Wales, which was highly inflected, did not copy well. Occasionally, however, spelling variations were carried out according to an individual's specific design: a branch loyalty within the family, a religious adherence, or even patriotic affiliations could be indicated by minor variations. The spelling variations of the name Thomason have included Thomason, Thomasson, Thomerson, Thomoson and others.

Early Notables of the Thomason family

Prominent amongst the family during the late Middle Ages was

George Thomason (died 1666), an English book collector famous for assembling a collection of more than 22,000 books and pamphlets published during the time of the English Civil War1...

Thomason Ranking

In the United States, the name Thomason is the 1,324^th most popular surname with an estimated 22,383 people with that name. 2

Thomason migration to the United States +

During the latter half of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century, the people of Wales journeyed to North America to find a new life. They made major contributions to the arts, industry and commerce of both Canada and the United States, and added a rich cultural heritage to their newly adopted societies. A look at the immigration and passenger lists has shown a number of people bearing the name Thomason:

Thomason Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Mr. Thomason who settled in Virginia in 1649
John Thomason, who landed in Virginia in 1677 3

Thomason Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Thomas Thomason, who arrived in Virginia in 1703 3
Alice Thomason, who arrived in Virginia in 1705 3
Moses Thomason, who arrived in Virginia in 1740 3
Moses Thomason, who settled in Virginia in 1740
Alex Thomason, who landed in Virginia in 1740 3

Thomason Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

John Thomason, who settled in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1818
Alex Thomason, who settled in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1844
Osmund Thomason, who landed in Illinois in 1844 3

Thomason migration to Australia +

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

Thomason Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Joseph Thomason, English convict who was convicted in London, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Bengal Merchant" on 24th March 1838, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 4
Mr. John Thomason, English convict who was convicted in Lancaster, Lancashire, England for 10 years, transported aboard the "Emerald Isle" on 25th June 1842, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 5

Thomason 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:

Thomason Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

James Thomason, aged 45, a shepherd, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Howrah" in 1874
Clementina Thomason, aged 44, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Howrah" in 1874
Arthur Thomason, aged 15, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Howrah" in 1874
Eliza Thomason, aged 14, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Howrah" in 1874
Clementina Thomason, aged 12, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Howrah" in 1874
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Thomason (post 1700) +

Arthur Wilson Thomason (1889-1944), American Major League Baseball outfielder
Robert Wayne Thomason (1952-1995), American mathematician who worked on algebraic K-theory
Dustin Thomason, American writer, best known as the co-writer of the 2004 novel The Rule of Four
Melvin Erskine Thomason (b. 1948), American Major League Baseball player
Sarah Grey "Sally" Thomason, American scholar of linguistics
John William Thomason Jr. (1893-1944), Lieutenant Colonel in the United States Marine Corps
Jeffrey David Thomason (b. 1969), former American NFL football tight end from San Diego, California
Robert Lee "Bobby" Thomason (b. 1928), former American NFL football quarterback
Robert Ewing Thomason (1879-1973), American politician, Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives, Mayor of El Paso
Harry Z. Thomason (b. 1940), American film and television producer and director, best known for the television series Designing Women
... (Another 24 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
"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)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 13th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/bengal-merchant
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 27th March 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/emily