boys' name ★ peaked 1947

Tommy

Meaning A diminutive of the male given name Thomas Gender Boy · 2% girls Rank 2025 #658 Trend ↑ Rising 19%

A diminutive of the male given name Thomas.

Rank 2025
#658
among boys · ↑73 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
455
named Tommy · +18% vs 2024
How common
1 in 4,067
boys born in 2025
Peak year
1947
4,649 babies
All-time total
181,675
#204 all-time among boys
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Tommy popularity over time

181,675 babies have been named Tommy 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
0.751.52.25318801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
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 – 94 94 9 – #408
1890s 5 159 164 16 +74% #414
1900s 32 406 438 44 +167% #289
1910s 177 1,805 1,982 198 +353% #274
1920s 398 6,849 7,247 725 +266% #144
1930s 370 19,857 20,227 2,023 +179% #77
1940s 376 37,046 37,422 3,742 +85% #70
1950s 340 34,974 35,314 3,531 -6% #94
1960s 500 29,365 29,865 2,987 -15% #107
1970s 358 16,175 16,533 1,653 -45% #143
1980s 139 10,462 10,601 1,060 -36% #197
1990s 72 9,038 9,110 911 -14% #270
2000s 53 6,709 6,762 676 -26% #307
2010s 7 3,592 3,599 360 -47% #595
2020s (to 2025) 115 2,202 2,317 386 +7% #658

Where Tommy 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 432 0.25 outside top 500
2027 443 0.26 outside top 500
2028 452 0.26 outside top 500
2029 460 0.27 outside top 500
2030 467 0.27 outside top 500

Where Tommy is most popular

Boys named Tommy per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.217 per 1,000. Strongest in Utah, Idaho, and Arkansas.

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 Tommy 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
Utah 80 0.838 +286%
Idaho 23 0.562 +159%
Arkansas 28 0.442 +104%
Oklahoma 35 0.396 +82%
Arizona 62 0.379 +74%
New Mexico 12 0.364 +68%
Kansas 23 0.335 +54%
Tennessee 58 0.321 +48%
Georgia 80 0.316 +45%
South Carolina 31 0.300 +38%
Missouri 41 0.296 +36%
Montana 5 0.284 +31%
Mississippi 16 0.282 +30%
Texas 246 0.279 +29%
South Dakota 5 0.269 +24%
California 245 0.268 +23%
Nevada 15 0.263 +21%
North Carolina 67 0.262 +21%
Alabama 26 0.238 +9%
Washington 38 0.232 +7%
Minnesota 28 0.228 +5%
Florida 98 0.207 -5%
Louisiana 21 0.205 -5%
Ohio 51 0.192 -11%
Indiana 29 0.181 -17%
New York 74 0.171 -21%
Illinois 41 0.160 -26%
Oregon 12 0.158 -27%
Michigan 31 0.151 -30%
Colorado 19 0.147 -32%
New Jersey 29 0.144 -34%
Wisconsin 12 0.101 -53%
Virginia 19 0.100 -54%
Iowa 5 0.073 -67%
Kentucky 5 0.050 -77%
Pennsylvania 13 0.049 -77%
Massachusetts 6 0.044 -80%
Alaska – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Maryland – – –
Maine – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
Rhode Island – – –
Vermont – – –
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 Tommy

Tommy is uncommon for boys in the United States, ranked #658 in 2025 with 420 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 181,675 American babies have been named Tommy. Its peak came in 1947, when 4,649 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1940s.

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 Tommy stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Tommy?

The median living Tommy is about 61 years old; half are between 44 and 72. An estimated 120 thousand people named Tommy are alive in the United States today.

median 61 020406080100

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

Tommy 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 35 #4,161 420 #658
2024 26 #5,136 360 #731
2023 20 #6,146 387 #690
2022 16 #7,260 358 #726
2021 12 #8,936 351 #734
2020 6 #14,951 326 #745
2019 7 #13,698 361 #698
2018 – – 332 #722
2017 – – 345 #710
2016 – – 322 #756
2015 – – 355 #706
2014 – – 333 #724
2013 – – 368 #658
2012 – – 388 #627
2011 – – 368 #637
2010 – – 420 #595
2009 – – 471 #563
2008 7 #15,275 525 #518
2007 – – 543 #489
2006 – – 586 #462
2005 6 #16,305 626 #426
2004 9 #11,552 686 #394
2003 9 #11,268 670 #390
2002 8 #12,118 801 #343
2001 6 #15,217 842 #331
2000 8 #11,726 959 #307
1995 9 #9,505 852 #311
1990 8 #10,133 981 #270
1985 17 #4,626 981 #237
1980 20 #3,984 1,259 #197
1975 33 #2,453 1,554 #156
1970 60 #1,598 2,220 #148
1965 62 #1,404 2,719 #119
1960 45 #1,693 3,683 #112
1955 34 #1,835 3,177 #108
1950 26 #1,907 3,434 #94
1945 34 #1,399 3,449 #75
1940 31 #1,371 2,827 #76
1935 34 #1,242 2,032 #95
1930 36 #1,270 1,386 #127
1925 51 #1,072 705 #201
1920 23 #1,808 344 #309
1915 22 #1,613 193 #388
1910 8 #1,916 82 #274
1905 9 #1,405 37 #335
1900 – – 42 #336
1895 5 #1,792 20 #453
1890 – – 14 #532
1885 – – 7 #829
1880 – – 5 #1,048

Famous people named Tommy

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

  1. 1 Tommy Lee Jones Tommy Lee Jones American actor (born 1946) Contemporary
  2. 2 Tommy Lee Tommy Lee American drummer (born 1962) Contemporary
  3. 3 Tommy Flanagan Tommy Flanagan Scottish actor (born 1965) Contemporary
  4. 4 Tommy Chong Tommy Chong Canadian comedian and actor (born 1938) Contemporary
  5. 5 Tommy Morrison Tommy Morrison American boxer (1969–2013) Contemporary
  6. 6 Tommy Wiseau Tommy Wiseau American actor and filmmaker (born 1955) Contemporary
  7. 7 Tommy Hilfiger Tommy Hilfiger American fashion designer (born 1951) Contemporary
  8. 8 Tommy Cooper Actor, United Kingdom 1921–1984 · Contemporary
  9. 9 Tommy Ramone Tommy Ramone American drummer (1949–2014) Contemporary
  10. 10 Tommy Thayer Tommy Thayer American guitarist (born 1960) Contemporary
  11. 11 Tommy Bolin Tommy Bolin American guitarist (1951–1976) Contemporary
  12. 12 Tommy Aldridge Tommy Aldridge American drummer b. 1950 · Contemporary
  13. 13 Tommy Lawrence Tommy Lawrence Scottish footballer (1940–2018) Contemporary
  14. 14 Tommy Douglas Tommy Douglas Premier of Saskatchewan from 1944 to 1961 1904–1986 · Contemporary
  15. 15 Tommy Emmanuel Tommy Emmanuel Australian guitarist (born 1955) Contemporary
  16. 16 Tommy Gunn Pornographic actor, United States b. 1967 · Contemporary
  17. 17 Tommy Haas Tommy Haas German tennis player (born 1978) Contemporary
  18. 18 Tommy Franks Military personnel, United States b. 1945 · Contemporary
  19. 19 Tommy Docherty Tommy Docherty Scottish association footballer and manager (1928–2020) Contemporary
  20. 20 Tommy Lee Wallace Film director, United States b. 1949 · Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Tommy?

The median living Tommy is about 61 years old. Half of all living Tommys are between 44 and 72 years old.

How many people named Tommy are alive today?

An estimated 120 thousand people named Tommy are alive in the United States, based on 181,675 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Tommy mean?

A diminutive of the male given name Thomas.

How popular is the name Tommy in 2025?

Tommy ranked #658 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 420 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Tommy?

181,675 babies have been named Tommy in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Tommy most popular?

Tommy peaked in 1947, when 4,649 newborns received the name.

Is Tommy a boy or girl name?

Tommy is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 98% of babies with the name.

Is the name Tommy rising or falling?

Tommy is on the rise, noticeably more popular now than a decade ago.

Will Tommy become more popular?

Tommy is trending upward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 467 boys named Tommy 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 Tommy?

Well-known people named Tommy include Tommy Lee Jones (actor), Tommy Lee (musician), Tommy Flanagan (actor).

Names like Tommy

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

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