TOMAN
The surname Toman finds its earliest roots in the ancient languages of the Near East and Central Europe.
Aramaic contributes the core element of the name, as the word toma means twin. From this root the Christian byname Thomas developed, used for one of the apostles of Christ. The name Thomas was adopted into Celtic languages in the early Middle Ages, where it came to signify a man descended from a twin or a person associated with twins.
In the Czech and Slovak languages the personal name Tomáš is the natural linguistic variant of Thomas. The surname Toman is therefore a patronymic, indicating son of Tomáš or descendant of Thomas. The earliest documentary appearance of the name in the Czech region occurs in the tenth century in the town now known as Leitomischl in North Moravia; it rapidly spread through the neighbouring kingdoms of Poland, Hungary and Austria, reaching a high frequency in the Austro-Hungarian Empire by the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.
In the British Isles the surname bears a separate lineage. Church registers in England record an occupational form, derived from a master named Thom or Tom, pet forms of Thomas. The suffix -man, from Old English mann meaning servant, gives a construct equivalent to servant of Thom. Early examples such as Nicholas Thomasman of Yorkshire in 1301 and William Thomeman in 1379 survive in tax returns, while later records include the christening of Susanna Toman at St. Giles’, Cripplegate in 1631. In Ireland the surname is predominantly found in the Ulster county of Tyrone and adjoining areas; it is the Anglicised form of the Gaelic O'Tuamain, meaning grandson of Tuaman, with tuama interpreted as axe or hatchet, perhaps a weapon carried by a formidable warrior.
The Germanic derivation of the name, found chiefly in southern regions of Central Europe, is an occupational reference to a copper or tinsmith, from the German tomann. Variants associated with this line include Tomank, Tomanski and Tomankiewicz. These forms occasionally merge with other surnames to produce compounds such as Thomanowsky in German contexts.
By the twentieth century the name remained common in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, together accounting for approximately seventy‑odd per cent of all Toman families worldwide. Its presence now extends into Poland, Ukraine, Russia, Ukraine and a growing diaspora in North America, where it is most frequently encountered in the United States and Canada. The surname is ordinarily pronounced tuh-MAHN in the United States, a slight adaptation from the original Czech and Slovak pronunciation toh-MAHN.
Typical given names associated with the Toman surname
Male
- Ciaran
- Conor
- David
- James
- John
- Joseph
- Mark
- Michael
- Patrick
- Paul
- Robert
- Sean
- Stephen
- William
Female
- Andrea
- Ann
- Catherine
- Elizabeth
- Emma
- Geraldine
- Jane
- Joanne
- Lynda
- Margaret
- Mary
- Michelle
- Rebecca
- Susan
- Wendy
Similar and related surnames
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Toman in...
Braille
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Morse
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There are approximately 555 people named Toman in the UK. That makes it one of Britain's least common surnames. Only around nine in a million people in Britain are named Toman.
Origin: Celtic
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: Ireland
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: Gaelic
Famous people named Toman
- Andy Toman - Football player
- Anna Toman - Field hockey player
Names and descriptions courtesy of Wikipedia, and may contain errors. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of every famous person with this name.