How popular is the baby name Thomas in the United States right now? How popular was it historically? Use the popularity graph and data table below to find out! Plus, see all the blog posts that mention the name Thomas.

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Popularity of the baby name Thomas


Posts that mention the name Thomas

Popular baby names in Belgium, 2023

Flag of Belgium
Flag of Belgium

Last year, the European country of Belgium welcomed 110,400 babies.

What were the most popular names among these babies? Olivia and Noah.

Here are Belgium’s top 50 girl names and top 50 boy names of 2023:

Girl names

  1. Olivia, 587 baby girls
  2. Emma, 429
  3. Louise, 365
  4. Lina, 362 (tie)
  5. Sofia, 362 (tie)
  6. Alice, 356
  7. Eva, 352
  8. Anna, 351
  9. Mila, 331
  10. Juliette, 325
  11. Nora, 293
  12. Lucie, 275
  13. Ella, 273
  14. Mia, 271
  15. Elena, 266
  16. Inaya, 263
  17. Camille, 261
  18. Luna, 246
  19. Victoria, 244
  20. Alba, 242
  21. Jade, 240
  22. Julia, 234
  23. Lou, 227
  24. Giulia, 223
  25. Léa, 222
  26. Nina, 214
  27. Marie, 213
  28. Liv, 212
  29. Lily, 206
  30. Mona, 204 (tie)
  31. Noor, 204 (tie)
  32. Renée, 203
  33. Lena, 198
  34. Ellie, 186
  35. Billie, 185 (tie)
  36. Chloé, 185 (tie)
  37. Elise, 178
  38. Zoé, 170
  39. Alix, 167
  40. Livia, 163
  41. Amélie, 162
  42. Nour, 157
  43. Aya, 156
  44. Sara, 150
  45. Amira, 149 (tie)
  46. Rose, 149 (tie)
  47. Ambre, 148
  48. Jeanne, 147
  49. Clara, 144
  50. Manon, 142

Boy names

  1. Noah, 589 baby boys
  2. Arthur, 577
  3. Liam, 498
  4. Adam, 472
  5. Louis, 463
  6. Jules, 456
  7. Lucas, 394
  8. Gabriel, 378
  9. Victor, 336
  10. Matteo, 297
  11. Oscar, 286
  12. Leon, 275 (tie)
  13. Mohamed, 275 (tie)
  14. Léon, 244
  15. Finn, 241
  16. Lewis, 238
  17. Mathis, 236
  18. Luca, 232
  19. Raphaël, 223
  20. Hugo, 221
  21. Elias, 215
  22. Théo, 210
  23. Amir, 209
  24. Achille, 207
  25. Nathan, 206
  26. Rayan, 203
  27. Otis, 187
  28. Eden, 185
  29. Milo, 183
  30. Marcel, 182
  31. Maurice, 181
  32. Léo, 180 (tie)
  33. Yanis, 180 (tie)
  34. Isaac, 179
  35. David, 172
  36. Gaston, 171
  37. Basile, 170
  38. Lou, 163
  39. Charles, 162 (tie)
  40. Noé, 162 (tie)
  41. Maël, 161
  42. Naël, 160
  43. Ibrahim, 159
  44. Georges, 157
  45. Ayden, 155 (tie)
  46. Henri, 155 (tie)
  47. Aaron, 153 (3-way tie)
  48. Sacha, 153 (3-way tie)
  49. Vic, 153 (3-way tie)
  50. Emiel, 150

The six girl names that entered the girls’ top 100 last year were Florence, Millie, Estelle, Ayla, Aria, and Fatima.

The nine boy names that entered the boy’s top 100 last year were Andrea, Daniel, Eliott, Haroun, James, Julien, Mil, Thomas, and Warre.

The fastest-rising girl names were Eva (+70 baby girls) and Lou (+63), while the fastest-rising boy names were Ayden (+42 baby boys) and Matteo (+35).

Map of the three regions of Belgium
Belgium’s three regions

The top baby names within each of Belgium’s three regions were…

Girl namesBoy names
Flanders (in the north)
57.6% of the population
Language: Dutch		1. Olivia, 346
2. Anna, 222
3. Mila, 219
4. Nora, 216
5. Ella, 207		1. Noah, 359
2. Arthur, 349
3. Liam, 282
4. Jules, 262
5. Leon, 257
Wallonia (in the south)
31.8% of pop.
Languages: French & German		1. Eva, 201
2. Olivia, 191
3. Emma, 171
4. Alba, 166
5. Alice, 165		1. Gabriel, 240
2. Arthur, 195
3. Louis, 184
4. Jules, 177
5. Noah, 175
Brussels (the capital region)
10.6% of pop.
Languages: Dutch & French		1. Sofia, 75
2. Nour, 60
3. Emma, 58
4. Olivia, 50
5. Lina, 49		1. Adam, 93
2. Mohamed, 87
3. Gabriel, 65
4. Yanis, 58
5. Noah, 55

And here’s a selection of names from the other end of the spectrum — the names that were given to just 5 babies each in Belgium last year:

Rare girl namesRare boy names
Asmae, Blanche, Carlota, Deborah, Elli, Frie, Gigi, Hilona, Isabeau, Jinan, Kimya, Lente, Marcelle, Nika, Ozanne, Puck, Renske, Sibylle, Trixie, Violet, Wissal, Yarah, ZélyaAdar, Brenn, Camiel, Dylano, Ézéchiel, Finley, Gerard, Haider, Illan, Jelle, Kas, Largo, Merijn, Naé, Ole, Pharell, Rakan, Soann, Tijn, Virgil, Wasim, Yvar, Zacharie

In Dutch, the word lente refers to the season of spring.

I didn’t post about Belgium’s top baby names of 2022, but here are Belgium’s 2021 rankings.

Sources: First names for boys and girls – STATBEL, 4.5% decrease in births in 2023 compared to the average for 2019-2022 – Statbel, Demographics of Belgium – Wikipedia

Image: Adapted from Flag of Belgium (public domain)
Map: Adapted from Regions of Belgium by Ssolbergj under CC BY 3.0.

Popular baby names (and Maori baby names) in New Zealand, 2023

Flag of New Zealand
Flag of New Zealand

Last year, the island nation of New Zealand welcomed a total of 57,889 babies.

What were the most popular names among these babies? Charlotte and Noah.

Here are New Zealand’s top 50 girl names and top 50 boy names of 2023:

Girl names

  1. Charlotte, 209 baby girls
  2. Amelia, 184
  3. Isla, 179
  4. Olivia, 155
  5. Harper, 150
  6. Willow, 145
  7. Lily, 144
  8. Ava, 143 (tie)
  9. Ella, 143 (tie)
  10. Hazel, 141
  11. Mila, 138
  12. Evelyn, 135 (3-way tie)
  13. Mia, 135 (3-way tie)
  14. Sophie, 135 (3-way tie)
  15. Isabella, 130
  16. Aria, 125
  17. Ruby, 122
  18. Grace, 121
  19. Millie, 119
  20. Florence, 110
  21. Lucy, 108
  22. Ivy, 105
  23. Chloe, 101
  24. Zoe, 100
  25. Maeve, 98
  26. Daisy, 96
  27. Matilda, 95
  28. Sadie, 93 (tie)
  29. Sophia, 93 (tie)
  30. Emily, 92 (3-way tie)
  31. Freya, 92 (3-way tie)
  32. Luna, 92 (3-way tie)
  33. Olive, 88
  34. Georgia, 82 (tie)
  35. Maia, 82 (tie)
  36. Poppy, 81
  37. Frankie, 80 (tie)
  38. Violet, 80 (tie)
  39. Mackenzie, 79
  40. Ellie, 78
  41. Riley, 77
  42. Aurora, 76
  43. Bella, 74
  44. Madison, 70 (tie)
  45. Penelope, 70 (tie)
  46. Kaia, 69 (tie)
  47. Zara, 69 (tie)
  48. Billie, 68 (tie)
  49. Quinn, 68 (tie)
  50. Layla, 67

Boy names

  1. Noah, 267 baby boys
  2. Oliver, 247
  3. Luca, 207
  4. Jack, 194
  5. Leo, 189
  6. Theodore, 186
  7. George, 177
  8. Henry, 172
  9. Charlie, 163
  10. Hudson, 162
  11. Arthur, 158
  12. Arlo, 156
  13. Elijah, 153
  14. William, 147
  15. James, 146 (tie)
  16. Lucas, 146 (tie)
  17. Liam, 143
  18. Thomas, 142
  19. Theo, 135
  20. Oscar, 131
  21. Cooper, 122
  22. Beau, 119
  23. Hugo, 115
  24. Ethan, 114
  25. Ezra, 113 (tie)
  26. Mason, 113 (tie)
  27. Archie, 111 (tie)
  28. Levi, 111 (tie)
  29. Max, 110
  30. Carter, 106
  31. Felix, 105 (tie)
  32. Finn, 105 (tie)
  33. Alexander, 102
  34. Lachlan, 97
  35. Asher, 90 (3-way tie)
  36. Hunter, 90 (3-way tie)
  37. Louie, 90 (3-way tie)
  38. Luke, 87
  39. Benjamin, 84
  40. Harry, 83
  41. Jackson, 82
  42. Archer, 81
  43. Micah, 79 (tie)
  44. Riley, 79 (tie)
  45. Caleb, 78 (3-way tie)
  46. Isaac, 78 (3-way tie)
  47. Louis, 78 (3-way tie)
  48. Austin, 77
  49. Luka, 75
  50. Samuel, 74

And what about Maori names specifically?

Currently, the top Maori baby names in New Zealand are Aroha/Te Aroha for girls and Ariki/Te Ariki for boys. In Maori, the word aroha means “love” or “affection,” the word ariki means “chieftain” or “leader,” and the word te (in these two cases) is the article “the.”

Here are New Zealand’s top 10 Maori girl names and top 10 Maori boy names:

Maori girl names

  1. Aroha/Te Aroha, 164 baby girls
  2. Amaia, 110
  3. Maia, 103
  4. Anahera, 85
  5. Moana, 70
  6. Manaia, 68
  7. Ataahua, 54
  8. Marama, 51
  9. Atarangi, 41
  10. Tui, 39

Maori boy names

  1. Ariki/Te Ariki, 111 baby boys
  2. Wiremu, 86
  3. Rawiri, 80
  4. Mikaere, 65
  5. Nikau, 63
  6. Koa, 62 (tie)
  7. Manaia, 62 (tie)
  8. Manaaki, 59
  9. Kiwa, 45 (tie)
  10. Kaitoa, 45 (tie)

Please note that the Maori rankings don’t cover the calendar year 2023, as the national rankings do. Instead, they cover births from July 10, 2023, to June 30, 2024. (These dates coincide with Matariki, a.k.a. Maori New Year.)

Finally, here’s a link to New Zealand’s 2022 rankings, if you’d like to compare last year to the year before.

P.S. Did you know that New Zealand’s closest geographic neighbor in the Pacific is New Caledonia (to the north)?

Sources: Top Baby Names – New Zealand Government, Most common Maori baby names in 2023/24 released for Matariki – Te Ao Maori News, Te Aka Maori Dictionary, New Caledonia – New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade

Image: Adapted from Flag of New Zealand (public domain)

Baby born into Hogg family, named Ima

Texas philanthropist Ima Hogg (1882-1975)
Ima Hogg

Arts patron and philanthropist Ima Hogg was born in Mineola, Texas, in 1882.

Her parents were Sarah Ann Stinson and James Stephen Hogg — who became the attorney general of Texas in the late 1880s, then the first native-born governor of Texas in the early 1890s.

Ima’s birth occurred a couple of years after the death of Jim’s older brother, lawyer and writer Thomas Elisha Hogg. Tom had become Jim’s legal guardian (and father figure) in the mid-1860s.

In honor of his late brother, Jim Hogg decided to call his baby girl Ima, which was a name Tom had used for a female character in his Civil War poem The Fate of Marvin (1873). Here’s an excerpt:

A Southern girl, whose winsome grace
And kindly, gentle mien betrayed
A heart more beauteous than her face.
Ah! she was fair: the Southern skies
were typed in Ima’s heavenly eyes; …

(Notably, the poem featured two female characters. The second was Ima’s sister, Lelia.)

Ima Hogg, who had no middle name, later recalled: “Grandfather Stinson lived fifteen miles from Mineola and news traveled slowly. When he learned of his granddaughter’s name he came trotting to town as fast as he could to protest, but it was too late. The christening had taken place and Ima I was to remain.”

Throughout her life, Ima Hogg put a great deal of effort into downplaying her name. She had a “distinctive signature that rendered the first part [of her name] almost illegible,” for instance, and she used either “Miss Hogg” or “I. Hogg” on her personal stationery. Among acquaintances, she was known simply as “Miss Ima.”

In her early 90s, Miss Ima remarked to a friend, “You know, if I had been born in Scotland, my name would probably have been Imogene.”

Not long afterward, she began to call herself Imogene. The whimsical name change was a well-kept secret. Even some of the people closest to her never knew it, but her last passport was issued to Ima Imogene Hogg.

Ima Hogg passed away in 1975. Contrary to persistent rumors, she never had a sister named “Ura.” In fact, she never had any sisters at all — just three brothers: William Clifford, Michael Stephen, and Thomas Elisha. (William’s middle name honored his mother’s half-sister Clifford, who went by “Cliffie.”)

Sources:

Image: Adapted from Ima Hogg

Popular and unique baby names in Quebec (Canada), 2023

Flag of Quebec
Flag of Quebec

Of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada, Quebec is the second-largest in terms of both population (after Ontario) and area (after Nunavut).

Last year, Quebec welcomed close to 78,000 babies. What were the most popular names among these babies? Alice/Florence (tied) and Noah.

Here are Quebec’s top 50 girl names and top 50 boy names of 2023:

Girl names

  1. Alice, 465 baby girls (tie)
  2. Florence, 465 (tie)
  3. Emma, 456
  4. Olivia, 430
  5. Charlie, 415
  6. Charlotte, 405
  7. Livia, 359
  8. Lea, 326
  9. Beatrice, 300 (tie)
  10. Juliette, 300 (tie)
  11. Clara, 296
  12. Mila, 295
  13. Romy, 294 (tie)
  14. Sofia, 294 (tie)
  15. Rose, 291
  16. Zoe, 280
  17. Mia, 253
  18. Eva, 222
  19. Rosalie, 211
  20. Chloe, 208
  21. Leonie, 200
  22. Victoria, 189
  23. Flavie, 188 (tie)
  24. Julia, 188 (tie)
  25. Jade, 183
  26. Adele, 180 (tie)
  27. Elena, 180 (tie)
  28. Maeva, 177
  29. Billie, 175
  30. Amelia, 159 (tie)
  31. Jeanne, 159 (tie)
  32. Raphaelle, 158
  33. Ophelie, 145
  34. Sophia, 144
  35. Margot, 142
  36. Eleonore, 140
  37. Sophie, 133
  38. Elizabeth, 132
  39. Clemence, 127
  40. Ellie, 124 (tie)
  41. Flora, 124 (tie)
  42. Camille, 123 (3-way tie)
  43. Laura, 123 (3-way tie)
  44. Maya, 123 (3-way tie)
  45. Lily, 121
  46. Simone, 119
  47. Jasmine, 115
  48. Mathilde, 109
  49. Sarah, 105
  50. Anna, 104

Boy names

  1. Noah, 613 baby boys
  2. Liam, 556
  3. Leo, 549
  4. Thomas, 535
  5. William, 520
  6. Edouard, 495
  7. Jacob, 468
  8. Louis, 427
  9. Nathan, 400
  10. Arthur, 398
  11. Emile, 378
  12. Charles, 369
  13. Theo, 357
  14. Jules, 346
  15. Arnaud, 329
  16. James, 320
  17. Adam, 318
  18. Logan, 310
  19. Raphael, 299
  20. Felix, 293
  21. Theodore, 273
  22. Laurent, 272
  23. Lucas, 266
  24. Victor, 259
  25. Elliot, 258
  26. Eloi, 254
  27. Henri, 251
  28. Benjamin, 245
  29. Jackson, 233
  30. Gabriel, 218 (tie)
  31. Milan, 218 (tie)
  32. Olivier, 207
  33. Nolan, 201
  34. Samuel, 194
  35. Matheo, 189
  36. Eli, 188 (tie)
  37. Ethan, 188 (tie)
  38. Jayden, 180
  39. Antoine, 175
  40. Alexis, 172
  41. Leonard, 149
  42. Matteo, 147
  43. Jake, 146
  44. Robin, 143
  45. Zack, 135
  46. Tristan, 132
  47. Luca, 128 (tie)
  48. Mayson, 128 (tie)
  49. Axel, 127
  50. Malik, 126

The girls’ top 100 included Romane (52nd), Lily-Rose (72nd), Yasmine (78th), and Lyvia (89th).

The boys’ top 100 included Hubert (58th), Eliott (64th), Romeo (78th), and Philippe (85th).

And what about the names at the other end of the spectrum? Here’s a selection of the baby names that were bestowed just once in Quebec last year:

Unique girl namesUnique boy names
Ateret, Balkissa, Clovia, Dunnia, Elisapee, Fauve, Genia, Hestelle, Inuluk, Japnaaz, Kaudjak, Luluthia, Miskomin, Namu, Orzala, Pimprenelle, Pulammaq, Qiana, Rydia, Subby, Tanilla, Ulluriaq, Ummaluk, Valerina, Wilsie, Xiran, Yoldez, ZivahAuklin, Benno, Clavis, Deepak, Endri, Ferruccio, Galvany, Heston, Inukpak, Jassir, Keslin, Latevi, Melrick, Naullaq, Nipin, Orphe, Puulik, Rayler, Sorance, Tsalel, Tukalak, Uasheshkuan, Vladan, Wistaron, Xincheng, Yuutin, Zuryel

Some definitions/associations for a few of the above:

  • Ateret means “crown” in Hebrew.
  • Fauve is French for “tawny” and, by extension, can refer to a big cat (such as a lion).
  • Inukpak means “giant” in Inuktitut.
  • Miskomin means “raspberry” in Ojibwe.
  • Naullaq is based on the Inuktitut word naulaq, which refers to a harpoon head.
  • Nipin means “summer” in Cree.
  • Pimprenelle is French for “burnet,” which refers to herbs of the genus Sanguisorba.
  • Pulammaq means “root” in Inuktitut.
  • Uasheshkuan means “the sky is clear, cloudless” in Innu.
  • Ulliriaq means “star” in Inuktitut.
  • Yuutin means “it is windy” in East Cree.

I also spotted a single girl named Chaya Mushka, and two other babies — one girl and one boy — named Mispun, meaning “it is snowing” in East Cree.

Finally, here’s a link to Quebec’s 2022 rankings, if you’d like to compare.

Sources:

Image: Adapted from Flag of Quebec (public domain)