Tom
Meaning: Its source is Thomas, an English name meaning "Twin."
Origin: "Thomas."
Languages: This boy's name is used in Hebrew, Dutch and English.
Popularity: The name Tom ranked 154th in popularity for males of all ages in a sample of the 1990 US Census.
This name is highly rated in the 1990 U.S. Census popularity survey of all ages, but after 1960 does not appear in the state data listing the most popular baby names.
Arts and Music
- Tom Constanten
- Performer with The Grateful Dead at Woodstock (see list of Performers at Woodstock)
- ''Tom Dooley''
- A 1959 hit recorded by The Kingston Trio (see list of Names in Song titles)
- Tom Fogerty
- Performer with Creedence Clearwater Revival at Woodstock (see list of Performers at Woodstock)
- Tom Petty (born 1952)
American musician.
- 1994 MTV Networks award for best video by a male artist, for ''''Mary Jane''s Last Dance'''' (see list of Winners of MTV Video Music Awards)
- ''Major Tom''
- A 1984 hit recorded by Peter Schilling (see list of Names in Song titles)
- Tom Verlaine
American musician.
- Punk guitarist (see list of Guitarists)
- Tom Waits (born 1949)
American singer, songwriter and musician.
- Musical guest on ''''Saturday Night Live'''' (see list of Musical Guests on ''Saturday Night Live'')
- Tom Wilson (born 1931)
American cartoonist.
- Ziggy (see list of Cartoonists)
Leadership
- Tom C. Clark
American jurist.
- U.S. Supreme Court justice, 1949-67 (see list of U.S. Supreme Court Justices)
Miscellaneous
- Tom Berry
- National Cowboy Hall of Fame (see list of National Cowboy Hall of Fame)
- Tom Clancy (born 1947)
American novelist.
- 1997 gross earnings: $34 million (see list of Top-paid Stars)
- 1999 gross earnings: $66 million (see list of Top-paid Stars)
- 1996 gross earnings: $16 million (see list of Top-paid Stars)
- Tom Cruise (born 1962)
American actor and producer. Original name: Thomas Mapother IV.
- Dyslexic (see list of Famous Dyslexics)
- 1999 gross earnings: $27 million (see list of Top-paid Stars)
- 1996 gross earnings: $27 million (see list of Top-paid Stars)
- 1997 gross earnings: $55 million (see list of Top-paid Stars)
- Tom Hanks (born 1956)
American actor, director and comedian.
- 1996 gross earnings: $14 million (see list of Top-paid Stars)
- 1998 gross earnings: $44 million (see list of Top-paid Stars)
- 1999 gross earnings: $71.5 million (see list of Top-paid Stars)
- Tom Jones
- National Cowboy Hall of Fame (see list of National Cowboy Hall of Fame)
- Tom Lea
- National Cowboy Hall of Fame (see list of National Cowboy Hall of Fame)
- Tom Mix (born 1880, died 1940)
American actor, writer, director and producer.
- On the cover of Sgt. Pepper''s Lonely Hearts Club Band (see list of Faces on the Cover of ''Sergeant Pepper'')
- Tom Osmond
American entertainer.
- Member of the Osmond Family (see list of Members of the Osmond Family)
- Tom Thomson (born 1877, died 1917)
Canadian landscape painter.
- Born in Claremont, Ontario (see list of Famous Canadians)
Sports
- Tom Anderson
Hockey player.
- 1942 Hart Trophy winner (see list of Hart Trophy Winners)
- Tom Barrasso
Hockey player.
- 1984 Vezina Trophy winner (see list of Vezina Trophy Winners)
- 1984 Calder Memorial Trophy winner (see list of Calder Memorial Trophy Winners)
- Tom Branch (born 1930)
American skier and Director of the Eskimo Ski Club, a program to teach children how to ski.
- Elected to the Colorado Ski Hall of Fame in 1996 (see list of Members of the Colorado Ski Hall of Fame)
- Tom Brown
Football player.
- 1960 Outland Trophy winner (see list of Outland Trophy Winners)
- Tom Cousineau
American football player.
- 1979 National Football League number-one draft pick (see list of Football #1 Draft Picks)
- Tom Creavy
- 1931 Professional Golf Association tournament winner (see list of PGA Champions)
- Tom Cribb
- Member of the International Boxing Hall of Fame (see list of Pioneer inductees)
- Tom D'Eath
- Member of the Motorsports Hall of Fame for powerboats (see list of Members of the Motorsports Hall of Fame)
- Tom Dolan (born 1975)
American athlete.
- 2000 and 1996 Olympic swimming gold medal winner for 400m Individual Medley (see list of Olympic Gold Medalists in Individual Medley)
- Tom Fears
- Elected to the Professional Football Hall of Fame in 1970 (see list of Professional Football Hall of Fame)
- Tom Fleming
American runner.
- 1973, 1975 New York Marathon champion (see list of New York Marathon Winners)
- Tom Glavine
Baseball player.
- 1991 National League Cy Young Award winner (see list of National League Winners of the Cy Young Award)
- 1995 World Series Most Valuable Player (see list of World Series Most Valuable Players)
- Thomas J. ''Tom'' Gola
Basketball player.
- Inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1975 (see list of Basketball Hall of Fame)
- Tom Harmon
American football player.
- 1941 National Football League number-one draft pick (see list of Football #1 Draft Picks)
- 1940 Heisman Memorial Trophy winner (see list of Heisman Trophy Winners)
- Tom Heinsohn
American basketball player.
- 1956-57 National Basketball Association Rookie of the Year (see list of NBA Rookies of the Year)
- Inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1986 (see list of Basketball Hall of Fame)
- Tom Hennessey
- Member of the American Bowling Congress Hall of Fame (see list of American Bowling Congress Hall of Fame)
- Tom Johnson
Hockey player.
- 1959 James Norris Memorial Trophy winner (see list of J. Norris Memorial Trophy Winners)
- Tom Johnson
- Member of the International Boxing Hall of Fame (see list of Pioneer inductees)
- Tom Morris, Jr.
- 1868-70, 1872 British Open golf champion (see list of British Open Golf Champions)
- Tom Kidd
- 1873 British Open golf champion (see list of British Open Golf Champions)
- Tom King
- Member of the International Boxing Hall of Fame (see list of Pioneer inductees)
- Tom Kite
- 1992 U.S. Open golf tournament winner (see list of U.S. Open Golf Champions)
- Tom Landry
- Elected to the Professional Football Hall of Fame in 1990 (see list of Professional Football Hall of Fame)
- Tom Lehman
- 1996 British Open golf champion (see list of British Open Golf Champions)
- Tom Molineaux (born 1784, died 1818)
Boxer.
- Member of the International Boxing Hall of Fame (see list of Pioneer inductees)
- Tom Sayers
- Member of the International Boxing Hall of Fame (see list of Pioneer inductees)
- Tom Seaver
American baseball pitcher and announcer.
- 1967 National League Rookie of the Year (see list of National League Rookies of the Year)
- 1969, 1973, 1975 National League Cy Young Award winner (see list of National League Winners of the Cy Young Award)
- Inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1992 (see list of Members of the Baseball Hall of Fame)
- 1969 Sporting News Man of the Year (see list of Winners of the Sporting News Man of the Year Award)
- 1969 Associated Press Athlete of the Year (see list of Associated Press Athletes of the Year)
- 1969 Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year (see list of Sports Illustrated Sportsmen of the Year)
- Tom Sneva
Race-car driver.
- 1983 Indianapolis 500 winner (see list of Indianapolis 500 Winners)
- Tom Spring
- Member of the International Boxing Hall of Fame (see list of Pioneer inductees)
- Tom Morris, Sr.
- 1861-62, 1864, 1867 British Open golf champion (see list of British Open Golf Champions)
- Tom Tresh
Baseball player.
- 1962 American League Rookie of the Year (see list of American League Rookies of the Year)
- Tom Warren
- 1979 Ironman Triathlon winner (see list of Ironman Triathlon Winners)
- Tom Watson
- 1982 U.S. Open golf tournament winner (see list of U.S. Open Golf Champions)
- 1977, 1981 Masters golf tournament winner (see list of Masters Tournament Golf Champions)
- 1975, 1977, 1980, 1982, and 1983 British Open golf champion (see list of British Open Golf Champions)
- Tom Weiskopf
- 1973 British Open golf champion (see list of British Open Golf Champions)
- Tom Yawkey
- Inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1980 (see list of Members of the Baseball Hall of Fame)
Stage and Screen
- Tom Banks
Fictional character.
- Portrayed by Fred Sweda (see list of Characters in the film Another Woman)
- Tom Baxter
Fictional character.
- Portrayed by Jeff Daniels (see list of Characters in the film The Purple Rose of Cairo)
- Tom Bosley (born 1927)
American actor.
- Portrayed Howard Cunningham (see list of Actors on ''Happy Days'')
- Portrayed Sheriff Amos Tupper (see list of Actors on ''Murder, She Wrote'')
- Tom Bower
- Portrayed Dr. Curtis Willard from 1976-78 (see list of Actors on ''The Waltons'')
- Tom Bradford
Fictional character.
- Portrayed by Dick Van Patten (see list of Characters on ''Eight is Enough'')
- Tom Breneman
- Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame for Radio (see list of Radio Personalities with Stars in the Hollywood Walk of Fame)
- Tom Brown
Football player.
- Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame for Motion Picture (see list of Movie Personalities with Stars in the Hollywood Walk of Fame)
- Tom Cassidy
Fictional character.
- Played by Chad Everett (see list of Character from Gus Van Sant's remake of Psycho)
- Played by Frank Albertson (see list of Character from Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho)
- Tom Conti (born 1941)
Scottish actor.
- 1979 Tony Award winner for his performance in Whose Life Is It Anyway? (see list of Tony winners for Best Actor in a Play)
- Tom Conway (born 1904, died 1967)
American actor.
- Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame for Television (see list of Television Personalities with Stars in the Hollywood Walk of Fame)
- Tom Cruise (born 1962)
American actor and producer. Original name: Thomas Mapother IV.
- On Hollywood''s Footprints of Fame (see list of Celebrities Honored by Mann's Chinese Theater)
- Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame for Motion Picture (see list of Movie Personalities with Stars in the Hollywood Walk of Fame)
- Tom Cudahy
Fictional character.
- Character on the soap opera ''''All My Children'''' (see list of Characters on ''All My Children'')
- Tom Davis
Comedian and writer.
- A cast member on ''''Saturday Night Live,'''' from 1979-1980 and 1988-present (see list of Saturday Night Live)
- Tom Eplin (born 1960)
American actor, writer and producer.
- Actor on the soap opera ''''Another World'''' (see list of Performers on ''Another World'')
- Tom Ewell (born 1909)
American actor. Original name: S. Yewell Tompkins.
- 1953 Tony Award winner for his performance in The Seven Year Itch (see list of Tony winners for Best Actor in a Play)
- Tom Hanks (born 1956)
American actor, director and comedian.
- Two-time Academy Award winner for Best Actor: 1993, for Philadelphia; 1994, for Forrest Gump (see list of Oscar Winners for Best Actor)
- Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame for Motion Picture (see list of Movie Personalities with Stars in the Hollywood Walk of Fame)
- Tom Hardy
Fictional character.
- Character on the soap opera ''''General Hospital'''' (see list of Characters on ''General Hospital'')
- Tom Harvey
- Portrayed by Georg Stanford Brown (see list of Characters on ''Roots'')
- Tom Hughes
Fictional character.
- Character on the soap opera ''''As the World Turns'''' (see list of Characters on ''As The World Turns'')
- Tom Jones (born 1928)
American playwright and songwriter.
- Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame for Recording (see list of Recording Personalites with Stars in the Hollywood Walk of Fame)
- Tom Hardy, Jr.
Fictional character.
- Character on the soap opera ''''General Hospital'''' (see list of Characters on ''General Hospital'')
- Tom Mix (born 1880, died 1940)
American actor, writer, director and producer.
- On Hollywood''s Footprints of Fame (see list of Celebrities Honored by Mann's Chinese Theater)
- Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame for Motion Picture (see list of Movie Personalities with Stars in the Hollywood Walk of Fame)
- Tom Moore
- Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame for Television (see list of Movie Personalities with Stars in the Hollywood Walk of Fame)
- Tom Selleck (born 1945)
American actor.
- Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame for Motion Picture (see list of Movie Personalities with Stars in the Hollywood Walk of Fame)
- Tom Skerrit (born 1933)
American actor.
- Portrayed Evan Drake from 1987-88 (see list of Actors on ''Cheers'')
- Tom Skerritt (born 1943)
American actor.
- Portrays Sheriff Jimmy Brock (see list of Actors on ''Picket Fences'')
- Tom Verica
American actor.
- Portrayed Billy Castroverti (see list of Actors on ''L.A. Law'')
- Tom Wiggin
- Actor on the soap opera ''''As the World Turns'''' (see list of Performers on ''As The World Turns'')
The Literary World
- Tom Boutillier
Fictional character.
- The assistant district attorney in Stephen King''s novel It (see list of Characters in It)
- Tom Clancy (born 1947)
American novelist.
- Wrote The Hunt for Red October (see list of Prose Writers of the 20th Century)
- Author of the 1988 best-selling novel The Cardinal of the Kremlin and the 1989 best-selling novel Clear and Present Danger (see list of Bestselling Fiction Authors in the U.S.)
- Tom Cullen
Fictional character.
- A friend of Nick in Stephen King''s novel The Stand (see list of Characters in The Stand)
- Tom Gralish
- 1986 Pulitzer Prize winner for Feature Photography (see list of Winners of the Pulitzer Prize for Feature Photography)
- Tom Joad
Fictional character
- The patriarch in John Steinbeck''s novel, The Grapes of Wrath (see list of Characters from the Classics)
- Tom Little
- 1957 Pulitzer Prize winner for Editorial Cartooning (see list of Winners of the Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Cartooning)
- Tom Mahout
Fictional character.
- Jessie''s father in Stephen King''s novel Gerald''s Game (see list of Characters in Gerald's Game)
- Tom Riddle
Fictional character
- A character in the Harry Potter series (see list of Selected characters from the Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling)
- Tom Rogan
Fictional character.
- Bev''s husband in Stephen King''s novel It (see list of Characters in It)
- Tom Shales
- 1988 Pulitzer Prize winner for Criticism (see list of Winners of the Pulitzer Prize for Criticism)
- Tom Stoppard (born 1937)
Czech-born English playwright. Original name: Tomas Straussler
- Wrote Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead (see list of Prose Writers of the 20th Century)
- Tom Toles
- 1990 Pulitzer Prize winner for Editorial Cartooning (see list of Winners of the Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Cartooning)
- Tom Wolfe (born 1931)
American journalist and novelist.
- Wrote Bonfire of the Vanities (see list of Prose Writers of the 20th Century)
- 1980 National Book Award winner for Nonfiction, for The Right Stuff (see list of Winners of the National Book Award for Nonfiction)
Teasing Nicknames:
- Tommunist
- Tom Tom
- Tomuel
- Tom Boy
Associations:
In Portuguese, tom means tone or sound.
''Aunt Tom'' is a term for a woman who does not challenge or question male dominance.
''Devil and Tom Walker'' is an exclamation expressing annoyance or agitation.
In African-American slang, ''Uncle Tom'' is a derogatory term for a black person who submits to racism acts servile to white people. The term is derived from the novel Uncle Tom's Cabin, by Harriet Beecher Stowe.
In African-American slang, ''Mister Tom'' is a derogatory term for a black man who has embraced white, middle-class values and culture. It is a variant of ''Uncle Tom.''
In African-American slang, the phrase ''Tom-and-try'' means to submit to racism or act subservient in order to gain something.
In African-American slang, a ''Tomcat'' is a young man who is dressed up to seek female companionship.
In African-American slang, to ''Tom out'' is to inform on a fellow African American to the white authorities.
''Tom'' or ''Tomfoolery'' is British rhyming slang for jewelry.
A ''Tom mix'' is either a drug injection or a difficult situation.
