TOMLIN
The surname Tomlin is an English family name that ultimately derives from the personal name Thomas, a biblical name that itself originates from the Aramaic term Teoma, meaning twin. The suffix -lin is a diminutive, signalling either little Thomas or son of Thomas.
In medieval usage the name is often analysed as Tom‑el‑in, in which the pet form Tom is combined with two diminutive endings, el and in, yielding the patronymic Tomlin.
During the Middle Ages in Britain a great many surnames were formed from given names, and Tomlin exemplifies this patronymic practice, marking a person as a descendant of an ancestor named Thomas.
The earliest documented spelling appears in the Pipe Rolls of Cambridge for the year 1327, where a man named Robert Thomelyn is recorded; this place within the reign of King Edward I (1327‑1377) confirms the antiquity of the name.
Subsequent church registers provide further evidence. For example, Cathern Tomlin was christened on 1 December 1557 at St. John’s Hackney; Henry Tomlin married Elizabeth Lee on 18 July 1596 at St. Botolph’s Bishopsgate; Marie, daughter of Richard Tomlin was christened on 5 June 1612 at St. Mary’s Whitechapel; and Anne, daughter of George Tomlin was christened on 14 January 1621 at St. Dunstan’s East.
Over time the spelling of the surname has varied: Tomlin, Tomlinn, Tomlen, and through a separate derivation the versions Tomlinn, Tomlen, Tolman, Tolmin, Torman and Tollyman have appeared, each suggesting a relation to a place or a family name descended from Thomas or from local topographical features such as a meadow, moor, or hill.
In contemporary times the surname is notable both in the United Kingdom and the United States. Within the United Kingdom it remains relatively common, particularly in Lancashire and Yorkshire. In America, according to recent Census Bureau data, nearly 28,000 people bear the surname, with the highest frequencies occurring in the southern states of Alabama, Mississippi, North Carolina and Tennessee, as well as in the Midwest and in several large cities; this pattern reflects migration of English descendants during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.
Thus, Tomlin is a surname that encapsulates a historical lineage from a biblical name of ancient Aramaic origin, through medieval English patronymic conventions, to a present‑day family name found across the British Isles and North America.
Typical given names associated with the Tomlin surname
Male
- Christopher
- David
- James
- John
- Mark
- Michael
- Paul
- Peter
- Robert
- Stephen
Female
- Anne
- Elizabeth
- Joanne
- Julie
- Linda
- Margaret
- Mary
- Michelle
- Nicola
- Rebecca
- Samantha
- Sarah
- Susan
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 Tomlin in...
Braille
⠞⠕⠍⠇⠊⠝
Morse
------.-....-.
Semaphore
There are approximately 5,729 people named Tomlin in the UK. That makes it roughly the 1,655th most common surname in Britain. Around 88 in a million people in Britain are named Tomlin.
Surname type: Diminutive
Origin: English
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: England
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: English
Famous people named Tomlin
- Lily Tomlin - American actress, comedian, writer and producer
- Mike Tomlin - Head coach of the National Football League's Pittsburgh Steelers
- Lee Tomlin - Football player
- Graham Tomlin - Theologian
- Gavin Tomlin - Football player
- Thomas Tomlin, Baron Tomlin - Judge (1867 to 1935)
- Stephen Tomlin - Sculptor (1901 to 1937)
- John Read le Brockton Tomlin - Malacologist (1864 to 1954)
- William Tomlin - Cricketer (1866 to 1874)
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.