Thompson Name Meaning & Thompson Family History at Ancestry.com®
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Thompson Family History

Thompson Name Meaning

English: patronymic from the Middle English personal name T(h)om(me) (see Thom ) + -son ‘son of Tom’. Thomson is usually the Scottish form that with the intrusive -p- being English. Both forms are common in Ireland. The surname Thompson is also very common among African Americans. Americanized form of Danish Norwegian and North German Thomsen and of its Swedish cognate Thomsson. Compare Thomson .

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


Similar surnames: Thomason, Tompson, Thomas, Tomson, Thomasson, Thomerson, Hampson

Search for a relative to learn more about your family history.

Hint: Try searching for a relative alive in 1940.

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Where is the Thompson family from?

You can see how Thompson families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Thompson family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Thompson families were found in USA in 1880. In 1840 there were 1,392 Thompson families living in New York. This was about 15% of all the recorded Thompson's in USA. New York had the highest population of Thompson families in 1840.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Thompson 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 Thompson ancestors do for a living?

In 1940, Farmer and Maid were the top reported jobs for men and women in the USA named Thompson. 15% of Thompson men worked as a Farmer and 7% of Thompson women worked as a Maid. Some less common occupations for Americans named Thompson were Truck Driver and Teacher. .

View Census Data for Thompson | 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
    15%
  • Laborer
    15%
  • Salesman
    4%
  • Truck Driver
    3%

Top Female Occupations In 1940

  • Maid
    7%
  • Housekeeper
    6%
  • Housewife
    6%
  • Teacher
    6%
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What Thompson family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 4 million census records available for the last name Thompson. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Thompson census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search US census records for Thompson

Passenger Lists

There are 662,000 immigration records available for the last name Thompson. 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 Thompson immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 727,000 military records available for the last name Thompson. For the veterans among your Thompson ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

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You've only scratched the surface of Thompson family history

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What is the average Thompson lifespan?

Between 1940 and 2004, in the United States, Thompson life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1940, and highest in 2000. The average life expectancy for Thompson in 1940 was 34, and 73 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Thompson

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Thompson ancestors lived in harsh conditions. A short lifespan might also indicate health problems that were once prevalent in your family. The SSDI is a searchable database of more than 70 million names. You can find birthdates, death dates, addresses and more.

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