boys' name ★ peaked 1959

Tom

Gender Boy Rank 2025 #2,206 Trend ↓ Falling 19%

A diminutive of the male given name Thomas, also used as a formal male given name.

Rank 2025
#2,206
among boys · ↑537 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
65
named Tom · +35% vs 2024
How common
1 in 26,278
boys born in 2025
Peak year
1959
5,080 babies
All-time total
140,370
#242 all-time among boys
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Tom popularity over time

140,370 babies have been named Tom since 1880, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
123418801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
BoysGirls

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s 12 3,786 3,798 380 – #40
1890s 6 3,335 3,341 334 -12% #58
1900s 19 3,293 3,312 331 -1% #53
1910s 102 7,623 7,725 773 +133% #82
1920s 142 11,923 12,065 1,207 +56% #131
1930s 99 16,427 16,526 1,653 +37% #97
1940s 99 29,884 29,983 2,998 +81% #87
1950s 54 23,754 23,808 2,381 -21% #82
1960s 63 29,201 29,264 2,926 +23% #86
1970s 18 4,864 4,882 488 -83% #219
1980s – 1,984 1,984 198 -59% #538
1990s – 1,454 1,454 145 -27% #696
2000s – 1,097 1,097 110 -25% #1,077
2010s – 786 786 79 -28% #1,765
2020s (to 2025) – 345 345 58 -27% #2,206

Where Tom is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 boys Implied rank
2026 63 0.04 outside top 500
2027 62 0.04 outside top 500
2028 60 0.04 outside top 500
2029 59 0.03 outside top 500
2030 58 0.03 outside top 500

Where Tom is most popular

Boys named Tom per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.033 per 1,000. Strongest in California, New York, and Texas.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are boys named Tom born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Boys 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
California 54 0.059 +78%
New York 19 0.044 +32%
Texas 23 0.026 -21%
Florida 6 0.013 -62%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Arkansas – – –
Arizona – – –
Colorado – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Georgia – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Illinois – – –
Indiana – – –
Kansas – – –
Kentucky – – –
Louisiana – – –
Massachusetts – – –
Maryland – – –
Maine – – –
Michigan – – –
Minnesota – – –
Missouri – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Carolina – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Jersey – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Ohio – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Oregon – – –
Pennsylvania – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
South Dakota – – –
Tennessee – – –
Utah – – –
Virginia – – –
Vermont – – –
Washington – – –
Wisconsin – – –
West Virginia – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Tom

Tom is rare for boys in the United States, ranked #2,206 in 2025 with 65 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 140,370 American babies have been named Tom. Its peak came in 1959, when 5,080 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1950s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Tom stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Tom?

The median living Tom is about 66 years old; half are between 61 and 76. An estimated 70 thousand people named Tom are alive in the United States today.

median 66 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Tom year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 – – 65 #2,206
2024 – – 48 #2,743
2023 – – 50 #2,653
2022 – – 60 #2,375
2021 – – 64 #2,220
2020 – – 58 #2,346
2019 – – 87 #1,787
2018 – – 66 #2,142
2017 – – 88 #1,765
2016 – – 70 #2,044
2015 – – 70 #2,051
2014 – – 77 #1,903
2013 – – 82 #1,779
2012 – – 83 #1,798
2011 – – 83 #1,768
2010 – – 80 #1,828
2009 – – 99 #1,616
2008 – – 96 #1,632
2007 – – 94 #1,648
2006 – – 109 #1,436
2005 – – 125 #1,260
2004 – – 107 #1,365
2003 – – 132 #1,148
2002 – – 140 #1,077
2001 – – 96 #1,349
2000 – – 99 #1,311
1995 – – 134 #964
1990 – – 214 #696
1985 – – 180 #654
1980 – – 235 #564
1975 – – 303 #463
1970 – – 1,130 #219
1965 6 #6,479 2,497 #127
1960 11 #4,157 4,894 #86
1955 6 #5,777 1,513 #180
1950 9 #3,940 1,823 #145
1945 10 #3,113 2,893 #89
1940 8 #3,483 2,287 #92
1935 13 #2,425 1,725 #110
1930 13 #2,542 1,336 #132
1925 20 #2,006 1,216 #138
1920 15 #2,451 1,207 #131
1915 14 #2,246 869 #142
1910 – – 428 #82
1905 – – 317 #77
1900 – – 469 #53
1895 6 #1,578 335 #62
1890 – – 347 #59
1885 – – 361 #48
1880 – – 399 #40

Famous people named Tom

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Tom Cruise Tom Cruise American actor and film producer (born 1962) Contemporary
  2. 2 Tom Hanks Tom Hanks American actor and filmmaker (born 1956) Contemporary
  3. 3 Tom Hardy Tom Hardy English actor (born 1977) Contemporary
  4. 4 Tom Hiddleston Actor, United Kingdom b. 1981 · Contemporary
  5. 5 Tom Selleck Tom Selleck American actor (born 1945) Contemporary
  6. 6 Tom Petty Tom Petty American rock musician (1950–2017) Contemporary
  7. 7 Tom Ellis Tom Ellis Welsh actor (born 1978) Contemporary
  8. 8 Tom Jones Tom Jones Welsh singer (born 1940) Contemporary
  9. 9 Tom Waits Tom Waits American musician and actor (born 1949) Contemporary
  10. 10 Tom Morello Tom Morello American guitarist and singer-songwriter b. 1964 · Contemporary
  11. 11 Tom Berenger Tom Berenger American actor (born 1949) Contemporary
  12. 12 Tom Ford Tom Ford American fashion designer and filmmaker (born 1961) Contemporary
  13. 13 Tom Clancy Tom Clancy American author (1947–2013) Contemporary
  14. 14 Tom Skerritt Tom Skerritt American actor (born 1933) Contemporary
  15. 15 Tom Wilkinson Tom Wilkinson English actor (1948–2023) Contemporary
  16. 16 Tom Fogerty Tom Fogerty American musician (1941–1990) Contemporary
  17. 17 Tom Cavanagh Actor, Canada b. 1963 · Contemporary
  18. 18 Tom Courtenay Actor, United Kingdom b. 1937 · Contemporary
  19. 19 Tom Wolfe Tom Wolfe American author and journalist (1930–2018) Contemporary
  20. 20 Tom of Finland Tom of Finland Finnish artist (1920–1991) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Tom, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Tom?

The median living Tom is about 66 years old. Half of all living Toms are between 61 and 76 years old.

How many people named Tom are alive today?

An estimated 70 thousand people named Tom are alive in the United States, based on 140,370 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Tom mean?

A diminutive of the male given name Thomas, also used as a formal male given name.

How popular is the name Tom in 2025?

Tom ranked #2,206 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 65 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Tom?

140,370 babies have been named Tom in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Tom most popular?

Tom peaked in 1959, when 5,080 newborns received the name.

Is Tom a boy or girl name?

Tom is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Tom rising or falling?

Tom is declining, less popular now than a decade ago.

Will Tom become more popular?

Tom is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 58 boys named Tom in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Tom?

Well-known people named Tom include Tom Cruise (actor), Tom Hanks (actor), Tom Hardy (actor).

Names like Tom

Names that sound and feel close to Tom: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Tom with similar names → More names starting with T →