The clocks go back a week on Sunday. You get one lovely extra hour in bed, then about five months of looking out of the window at half four and muttering "it's dark already?"
If you doubt that extra hour is a fair swap, you're in good company, because this week's name gave us the most famous doubter of them all.
Where Thomas comes from
Thomas comes from Aramaic and is said to mean "twin". That's a slightly odd thing to call a baby when you stop and think about it, a bit like naming your child "The Other One". Even so, it has been given to boys for an awfully long time, and it reached Britain the way plenty of old names did: through the Bible.
The best-known early Thomas is the apostle, one of the twelve. He's mostly remembered for refusing to believe his friends' news until he had seen the evidence for himself. That's where "doubting Thomas" comes from, and we still use it for anyone whose motto is "I'll believe it when I see it".
Personally, I think he gets a raw deal. Asking for proof is just good sense. Most of us would like the same courtesy from the weather forecast.
Thomas in British history
The name really settled in here thanks to Thomas Becket, the Archbishop of Canterbury who was killed in his own cathedral in 1170 and later made a saint. Canterbury became one of the great places of pilgrimage. The pilgrims in Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, swapping stories on the road, are on their way to his shrine.
The name has also given us one of the most British nicknames there is. In the First World War, British soldiers were known as "Tommies". And it's the reason a male cat is a tomcat, which is either a nice tribute or a slight insult depending on the cat.
There are plenty of short forms to choose from, too: Tom, Tommy, and the occasional Thom with a silent h for anyone feeling fancy. Most Thomases seem to get "Thomas" only when they're in trouble, usually shouted up the stairs.
How popular has Thomas been?
Very. Around 164,362 babies born in Britain between 1997 and 2025 were named Thomas. That works out at more than 5,500 a year on average, every year, for nearly three decades.
So if you went to school here at any point in the last thirty years, there's a fair chance you shared a classroom with a Tom. Quite possibly two, which made the register more interesting than it needed to be. Thomas is a name that never needed a comeback, because it never went anywhere.
Famous Thomases (and Toms)
- Thomas Hardy, the Dorset novelist behind Far from the Madding Crowd and Tess of the d'Urbervilles. Not a cheerful read, but a brilliant one.
- Tom Jones, the Welsh singer whose "It's Not Unusual" has been getting people dancing at weddings for decades.
- Tom Daley, the Olympic diver, also famous for knitting at the poolside.
- Tom Hanks, who we're claiming as an honorary Tom, even though he's from across the pond.
- Thomas the Tank Engine, whom no British parent of a small child has ever escaped. Some of us can still sing the theme tune on demand.
Mugs for the Thomas in your life
Now for the mugs, and there's a decent spread for Thomases.
If you want to keep it simple, the Thomas Mug does exactly what it says. No arguments over whose brew is whose.
Our favourite, for a Tom who works in an office (or who likes to think he runs it), is the EXCUSE ME! I wasn't named Thomas for nothing you know.. mug. The full line tells whoever's reading it over his shoulder to stop reading the mug and get back to work. We all know a Tom who'd say that and mean it.
For a Thomas with a bit of a theme going on, there's the Agent Thomas Mug for the one who's suspiciously good at knowing where the biscuits are hidden. There's also the Thomas Wizard Themed Mug, and the Thomas Chemistry Themed Mug for the one who treats making a cup of tea like a careful experiment.
Then there are two hashtag mugs that are a bit left-field: #Down Thomas and #Thomas Town. Down Thomas is a real village in Devon, so that one works for anyone who comes from there, or just for a Tom who's feeling a bit glum on a Monday.
Birthday coming up? The Happy Birthday Thomas (Rainbow) Mug is cheerful enough to brighten a dark October morning. If you're shopping for someone else, have a look through our Happy Birthday Name Mugs.
And if Thomas has a brother, a best mate or a cousin who'll get jealous, you'll find every other name we do in Names S-U and its neighbouring collections, plus more ideas in For Him Mugs.
One last thing
A name that means "twin" and is still going strong after the best part of two thousand years? We'd say that's doing rather well. If anyone doubts it, you know exactly what to call them.
