Thomas


Select Thomas Surname Genealogy

The Biblical Thomas was initially a priest's name but then emerged as a surname throughout Europe - in Italy, France, Germany and Holland, as well as in England.  The English pronunciation as "t" rather than "th" (as would have been proper from the Greek theta) is the result of French influence from an early date.  The name became popular in England after the martyrdom of St. Thomas a Becket in 1170.

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England.  Thomas first appeared as a surname in Wiltshire in 1275.  Its usage had spread to Cornwall and south Wales by the 16th century.   Thomas records at Helson date from the 1610's and at Sithney from the 1660's.  Thomas was the second ranked name in Cornwall in 1881.  The actress Kristin Scott Thomas hails from Redruth in Cornwall.

Wales.  Thomas began to appear as a surname in south Wales in the 16th century.  Early Thomases were:
  • Various Thomases lived at Plas Llanmihangel near Cowbridge in Glamorgan from the 1520's to the 1680's.  This Thomas family was said to be wealthy and linked to the Herberts who became the Earls of Pembroke.  They were later to be found at Tregroes House in Pencoed.
  • Edmund Thomas was a Cromwellian supporter during the Civil War.  He came from an old family seated at Wenvoe castle near Cardiff.
  • The Thomases of Llanbradach and Ystrad Mynach date from the 1640's.  William Thomas was sheriff of Glamorgan in 1675.  
Thomases from Ysguborwen in the Rhondda valley were pioneers of the Welsh coal industry in the 19th century.

Canada.  A Thomas family from Devon was prominent from the late 1700's in the early history of Newfoundland, as sea captains, merchants, and land developers.

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Samuel Thomas was one of the pioneers of the Welsh coal industry in the mid 19th century.  His son David expanded his father's commercial empire.
David Thomas, an immigrant from Wales, helped develop the iron industry in the LeHigh valley of Pennsylvania in the mid 19th century.
Dylan Thomas was the celebrated Welsh poet.
Dave Thomas from New Jersey founded and developed the Wendy fast food restaurant chain.

Select Thomas Today
  • 220,000 in the UK (most numerous in London)
  • 212,000 in America (most numerous in Texas)
  • 77,000 elsewhere (most numerous in Australia)
Thomas is the #9 ranked surname in the UK and the #14 ranked in America.


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