Lomas
An English surname probably tied to the parish-name Lomax/Lomas in Lancashire, later spreading widely with that local family name.
The #7,167 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 66,155 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The surname is usually treated as a locational name, closely linked with the Lancashire place-name Lomax/Lomas. The oldest spellings point to a place formed from Old English elements, though the exact original shape is uncertain and early writers connected it with forms such as Lumhalghes/Lomhalghes. In modern use, Lomas is generally understood as the vernacular pronunciation or spelling variant of Lomax.
History
19th-century surname writers repeatedly noted that Lomax and Lomas belonged to the same local family-name tradition, especially in South Lancashire. The name is also found in medieval records in Yorkshire and elsewhere, showing that it had spread beyond its original district by the late Middle Ages. In later English usage, Lomas became the common spoken form in some areas, while Lomax remained the more formal spelling.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Older surname books explicitly remark that Lomas was the everyday pronunciation of Lomax in parts of Lancashire.
From the historical record
“voLiij>t.ii.,p. lomas Bonnell, c Reg.”
— A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with special American instances