Toma

Meaning & origin

Toma first entered U.S. naming records in 1973, at a time when short, vowel-ending names were gaining modest traction. Its peak usage came in 1974, when it ranked 4050, but it then declined steeply before entering a long period of near-invisibility. Since 1986, however, the name has been on a steady upward trajectory, climbing back into the data with renewed, if still very modest, use. In 2025, about 1 in 65,695 boys received the name, and its top states of adoption were New York and California. The name's appeal likely stems from its brevity and the familiar sound of Thomas behind it, as well as potential Japanese connections. Toma remains an uncommon choice, favored by parents seeking a short, cross-cultural name that feels both modern and grounded.

Toma may be a modern English short form of Thomas, which derives from Aramaic t'om'a meaning 'twin'. In Japanese, it can be written with characters such as 智 (tomo, wisdom) and 麻 (ma, hemp). The name saw limited use in the United States beginning in the 1970s, with a peak rank of 4050 in 1974.