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Thomson Family History

Thomson Surname Meaning

Scottish English and Northern Irish: variant of Thompson. Scottish: sometimes an Anglicized form of Gaelic McThomas; see McTavish McComish.

Americanized form of Danish, Norwegian, and North German Thomsen. Compare Thompson.

Americanized form (and a rare Swedish variant) of Swedish Thomsson, a cognate of 3 above.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


Similar surnames: 

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Hint: Try searching for a relative alive in 1940.

Where is the Thomson family from?

You can see how Thomson families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Thomson family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Thomson families were found in and Scotland in 1841. In 1840 there were 82 Thomson families living in Pennsylvania. This was about 18% of all the recorded Thomson's in USA. Pennsylvania had the highest population of Thomson families in 1840.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Thomson surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.
  • 1840
  • 1880
  • 1920
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What did your Thomson ancestors do for a living?

In 1940, Farmer and Housewife were the top reported jobs for men and women in the USA named Thomson. 12% of Thomson men worked as a Farmer and 8% of Thomson women worked as a Housewife. Some less common occupations for Americans named Thomson were Carpenter and Housekeeper.

View Census Data for Thomson | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Top Male Occupations In 1940

  • Farmer
    12%
  • Laborer
    11%
  • Salesman
    7%
  • Carpenter
    3%

Top Female Occupations In 1940

  • Housewife
    8%
  • Teacher
    7%
  • Stenographer
    7%
  • Housekeeper
    6%

What Thomson family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 786,000 census records available for the last name Thomson. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Thomson census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search US census records for Thomson

Passenger Lists

There are 171,000 immigration records available for the last name Thomson. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the USA, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Thomson immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 72,000 military records available for the last name Thomson. For the veterans among your Thomson ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Thomson military records

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