Thompson
An English surname meaning “son of Thomas,” with Thompson as a later spelling of Thomson.
The #23 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 465 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Thompson is a patronymic surname built from the medieval pet form Thom or Thomm plus the possessive or filial ending -son, meaning “son of Thom/Thomas.” Thomas itself comes through Greek and Latin from the Aramaic name Ta’oma’, meaning “twin.” In many cases Thompson is simply a spelling variant of Thomson, with the extra p reflecting later English spelling habits rather than a different origin.
History
The name is widespread in England, Scotland, and Ireland, and became especially common in English-speaking countries through migration. Historical surname dictionaries note that Thompson is often treated as an expanded spelling of Thomson, though some local English place-names also influenced usage in Norfolk and Dorset. By the early 20th century it was already among the common surnames in Britain and later rose to very high frequency in the United States.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Older surname writers specifically noted Thompson as one of the common “p-inserted” spellings, alongside examples like Simpson from Simson.
From the historical record
“THOMMSON, Thomm's Son. J Thomas. THOMPSON for Thomson, q.v. THOMS,Thom's (Son) 1 „ ^.„ Thom== THOMSON.Thom's Son)''-^*'*""'^''""'^- THOR \ (Scand.) f. the O.N. Tkori-r (Mod. THOREJ Norw. Tore), a der. of Th6r-r, the God of Thunder [Q.N. Th6r-r = A.-Sax. Thtir (occ, Thdr), Thunor — \unor,”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)Notable people named Thompson
- Emma Thompson (b. 1959)
- Hunter S. Thompson (1937–2005)
- Ken Thompson (b. 1943)
Sourced from Wikidata; linked to their Wikipedia page.