Surname Tommes - Meaning and Origin

Tommes: What does the surname Tommes mean?

The last name Tommes is of German origin. It is derived from the Old German personal name ‘Tome’ or ‘Tomme’ which is an old-fashioned diminutive of both Thomas and Tom. The Thomas root is derived from the Aramaic ‘te’om’ meaning twin. The Tom root is derived from the Hebrew ‘ta’am’ meaning ‘complete’. Thus, Tommes means ‘one who is a twin’ or ‘one who is complete’.

The surname Tommes started to be used during the late Middle Ages by medieval German immigrants who settled in the low countries of the Netherlands. It was also found amongst other German speaking places including Austria, Switzerland and Germany.

In its early form, the name was likely a patronymic, meaning it was used to distinguish individuals from their father’s name. For example, Tommes son of Thomas or Tomme son of Tom. Over the centuries, Tommes has often been altered in spelling due to various social factors or had prefixes added to show familial relationships. For example, Fritzschl would be the son of Friedrich or Adel Tommes would indicate a noble family origin.

Today, there are number of Tommes’ distributed around the world, often with variant spellings such as Tomes, Toomes, Tomme, Tom and Thomme. They share the same meaning of ‘one who is a twin’ or ‘one who is complete’ and represent a great many people with an interesting and unique family history.

Tommes: Where does the name Tommes come from?

The last name Tommes is believed to have originated in Germany. Although the exact origin of the name is not known, records suggest that the name has been present for many centuries in Germany. Today, Tommes is still a relatively common surname in Germany. According to the Federal Statistical Office of Germany, Tommes is the 213th most common surname.

In addition, the name Tommes is found in countries across Europe, including Holland, Denmark, and Norway. It is likely that it began to spread beyond Germany with immigration and migration from the 19th century onwards.

The United States is also home to many Tommes families. The name Tommes first appeared in America in the late 1800s. It is believed that German immigrants adopted the name upon arriving in the country. Tommes is a particularly common name in the midwestern states of Illinois, Missouri, and Wisconsin.

Tommes is not as prevalent in other parts of the world, but there are a number of families with the name in Canada, Australia, and South America. For example, the Argentine football player Federico Tommes has made this last name recognized in South America.

Overall, the last name Tommes is still common today, particularly in Germany and in pockets of the United States, as well as other European countries.

Variations of the surname Tommes

The surname Tommes is an interesting name, historically German in origin occurring in areas of Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, and Denmark.

Variants of this name include Tomms, Thoms, Tohms, Tumm, Tomme, Thomson, and Thommes, as well as various other variations. Spellings seen throughout the years include Tomme, Thomma, Tohme, Tomes, and Thyms.

Toms, Thoms, and Thommes are likely the most common variations of this surname since they are largely phonetically based. The spelling with a "Th" is older than the spelling with a "T" and confusion between them may be due to speaking dialects where the “Th” sound is softened to a “T” sound.

Different variants, such as Tomes and Thomson, have likely evolved over time from when this name was first used. Surnames such as Thompson, Thomason, and Thomasson have also derived from Tommes.

Occupational derivatives of this surname include Timmermans, which is a trade surname given to carpenters (‘Timmer’ in Dutch is carpenter). Byers are also occupational derivatives—“By” is derived from the Low German word “buren,” and B damaged to By likely through dialect.

Immigrants with surname variants of Tomme have mainly living in the United States, Canada, and Australia, with some living in South Africa.

Therefore, there is a wide range of variations, spellings, and surnames of the same origin for the surname Tommes, which is of Germanic origin.

Famous people with the name Tommes

• Andreas Tommes: German auto racing driver
• Martin Tommes: German equestrian
• Marco Tommes: German football goalkeeper
• Hans Tommes: German football forward
• Fred Tommes: German Olympic bobsledder
• Francis W. Tommes: American law enforcement official
• Christel Tommes: German Olympic track and field athlete
• Benjamin Tommes: German footballer
• Aron Tommes: German Olympic archer
• Andrea Tommes: German Olympic show jumper
• Werner Tommes: German founder of the Tommes Group

Other surnames

Tommeschat