Tom
Pronounced T AA1 M (ARPABET)
- 1 syllable
- Peaked 1959
- 145 years in use
- 1 spelling
How popular is Tom?
Tom is a boys' name, and has been in the record since the data starts in 1880. It has been given to 141,148 children — the 246th most common boys' name on record.
It has been slipping, down 28% on the previous decade. Its best single year was 1959, when 5,091 children were given it.
Thom is counted with it here, since the two are pronounced identically.
Spelling variants
These spellings sound identical to Tom and are counted together with it, which is why the totals here are higher than a single-spelling count.
- Thom
Nicknames
Tom is itself a short form of Thomas.
Characteristics
- 1 syllable
Phonetic detail
- Pronunciations:
- T AA1 M
- Stress pattern:
- 1
- Syllables:
- 1
Stress digits mark unstressed (0), primary (1) and secondary (2) syllables.
Names like Tom
Same first letter and syllable count, peaking around the same time.
Sibling names for Tom
Names from the same era with a matching rhythm but a different initial.
Frequently asked questions
- How popular is the name Tom?
- Tom ranks 246th among boys' names in US records, with 141,148 births since 1880. Over the past decade it accounts for 674.
- Is Tom a unisex name?
- No. Tom is recorded almost entirely as a boys' name; births to the other gender are too few to register as a share.
- When was Tom most popular?
- 1959, when 5,091 children were given the name. It has been in use for 145 years and is still recorded as of 2024.
- How else is Tom spelled?
- Thom. All of these sound the same and are counted together in the totals on this page.