Adam vs Thomas
Adam and Thomascompared on official birth-registration statistics and Namewise's recorded data. This page states what each name's record shows — it never picks a winner or scores one name against the other.
Head to head
Ranks are only compared within one published list and one year. Two ranks from different years, from a boys' and a girls' list, or from different registrars are not comparable, so they are not placed side by side.
Northern Ireland · Boys
In 2024, Adam was ranked #38 and Thomas #11 among boys in Northern Ireland.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
In 2025, Adam was ranked #72 and Thomas #13 among boys in New South Wales, Australia.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
In 2025, Adam was ranked #20 and Thomas #16 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
New Zealand · Boys
In 2023, Adam was ranked #89 and Thomas #18 among boys in New Zealand.
Scotland · Boys
In 2024, Adam was ranked #42 and Thomas #20 among boys in Scotland.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2024, Adam was ranked #35 and Thomas #26 among boys in England and Wales.
Norway · Boys
In 2025, Adam was ranked #29 and Thomas #106 among boys in Norway.
Adam and Thomas over time
Adam and Thomas appear together in 6 published lists, across 315 years of shared records. Thomas held the stronger position in more years in 5 of them, Adam in 1.
The order between them changed and held in 2 of those lists — a change in that published list, never a claim that one name displaced the other.
Adam reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 4 of those lists, Thomas in 2. Each position is a place inside its own list, so this compares when they peaked and never how high.
Counted list by list. Two names in the same published list are measured on the same scale in the same year, so those comparisons are real — but positions from different lists are not, so nothing here is combined into an overall standing.
How this pair is related
The relationship kinds these two qualify for, each under its own stated rule. Every one is drawn from a list they both appear in.
- One moved ahead of the other
In 2013, Thomas moved ahead of Adam in Northern Ireland · Boys — #11 and #14 the year before became #12 and #11.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
Adam and Thomas changed places 6 times in New Zealand · Boys between 1965 and 2023, ending at #89 and #18.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 29 shared years in England and Wales · Boys, Adam and Thomas averaged 23.2 places apart, ending at #35 and #26.
- Longest-running competitions
Adam and Thomas were both ranked in New South Wales, Australia · Boys for 65 years, from 1961 to 2025, ending at #72 and #13.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in England and Wales · Boys within 2 years — Adam #16 in 1996, Thomas #2 in 1998.
List by list
Norway · Boys73 shared years, 1952–2025
Adam held the stronger position in 13 of those years, Thomas in 60.
Highest recorded here: Adam #15 in 2023, Thomas #1 in 1974.
The order changed in 2013: Adam moved ahead. In 2012 they stood at #67 and #58; by 2013 that had become #66 and #87.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Adam #29, Thomas #106.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys65 shared years, 1961–2025
Adam held the stronger position in 24 of those years, Thomas in 41.
Highest recorded here: Adam #7 in 1979, Thomas #3 in 2000.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Adam #72, Thomas #13.
Republic of Ireland · Boys61 shared years, 1965–2025
Adam held the stronger position in 26 of those years, Thomas in 35.
Highest recorded here: Adam #3 in 2001, Thomas #5 in 1965.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Adam #20, Thomas #16.
New Zealand · Boys59 shared years, 1965–2023
Adam held the stronger position in 13 of those years, Thomas in 46.
Highest recorded here: Adam #13 in 1986, Thomas #4 in 2001.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2023: Adam #89, Thomas #18.
England and Wales · Boys29 shared years, 1996–2024
Adam held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Thomas in 29.
Highest recorded here: Adam #16 in 1996, Thomas #2 in 1998.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Adam #35, Thomas #26.
Northern Ireland · Boys28 shared years, 1997–2024
Adam held the stronger position in 15 of those years, Thomas in 13.
Highest recorded here: Adam #3 in 2001, Thomas #6 in 2020.
The order changed in 2013: Thomas moved ahead. In 2012 they stood at #11 and #14; by 2013 that had become #12 and #11.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Adam #38, Thomas #11.
Two names moving past each other in a ranking is a fact about the ranking. Namewise does not claim one name displaced the other, that families chose between them, or that either influenced the other — none of that is in this data.
Side by side
| Field | Adam | Thomas |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | male | male |
| Meaning | Traditionally understood as the Hebrew word for 'man', with a wordplay connection in Genesis to 'ground/earth', since Adam is described as formed from earth. | The Greek form of the Aramaic name meaning 'twin'. |
| Origin | Biblical Hebrew | Aramaic, via Greek |
| Pronunciation | /ˈædəm/ | /ˈtɑməs/ |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Boys #20 (2025) | New South Wales, Australia · Boys #13 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 88/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Adam is recorded with a Biblical Hebrew origin, while Thomas is recorded with a Aramaic, via Greek origin.
- Adam and Thomas both have 2 syllables.
- Adam's recorded meaning differs from Thomas's — see the table above for each.
- Both names have recorded usage in AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ.
How each name got here
Adam
Popularity journey
First recorded1952
First recorded at #380 among boys in Norway in 1952 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1997–2024
Highest recorded position: #3 among boys in Northern Ireland, in 2001 (recorded 1997–2024).
Northern Ireland · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #72 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, in 2025.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
Thomas
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #177 among boys in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1945–2025
Highest recorded position: #1 among boys in Norway, in 1974 (recorded 1945–2025).
Norway · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #13 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, in 2025.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys