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Timestamp: 2019-04-25 01:02:26+00:00

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Thompson means "son of Thomas." There are endless variations as shown below.
From MacLysaght, The Surnames of Ireland: Thom(p)son Though of comparatively recent introduction this is the second most numerous purely non-Irish name in Ireland. It is mainly found in Ulster. Without the intrusive P, Thompson is Scottish. See Holmes and MacCavish. Holmes The English name Holmes is not common in Ireland. The Scottish Holmes, which is found in considerable number in all the provinces, especially Ulster, can, like Thomson, be equated with several combinations of Mac and the Christian name Thomas, e.g. Mac Thomais . . . which is also anglicized MacCombe and MacComish. In north Connacht Holmes has been used synonymously with Cavish. (Mac) Cavish Mac Thomhais. A rare name found in Co. Cavan, akin to the Scottish MacTavish. Both Mac Cavish and MacTavish have sometimes been changed to Thomson or Thompson in Co. Cavan. See Holmes. Mac Comb(e), -Come Mac Thom. The name of a Scottish family now fairly numerous in north-east Ulster. MacComish and MacCombs (Mac Thomais) are variants in Co. Down; MacCome is an old name in Co. Armagh. . . . See Holmes. Mac Combie A sept of the Scottish clan Mackintosh.
From Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames With Special American Instances: [Diminutive suffixes from pages 24-25: Diminutives in ot and et . . . All the diminutives in ot and et were added to the nick of the name, which was always one syllable [e.g. Thomset]. Diminutives in on or in. . . . Huggins or Hutchins represents a once familiar term for Hugh, Perrin for Peter, Robin or Dobbin for Robert [and Thomasin for Thomas]. Diminutives in kin. Kin came to mean a 'young one,' a child. . . . I may mention Hawkins (Henry), Tompkins (Thomas), Simkin (Simon), Jenkins (John) . . .] Thom, Thoms, Thomes.-- Bapt. 'the son of Thomas,; from the nick. Thome or Tom. Thome being the earlier form; v. Thomson. Thomas, Thomason, Thomasson, Thomassin, Thomeson.--(I) Bapt. 'the son of Thomas.' Thomas or Thome (whence Tom) was a universal favourite. The 13th and 14th century registers teem with it; v. Tomlin, Tomilinson, Thomson, Thompson, Tomkins, Tomkinson, Tombs, &c. (a) Bapt. 'the son of Thomasin' (q.v.). the two have become mixed. Thomasin.--Bapt. 'the son of Thomas,' from the dim. Thomasin. A feminine Thomasina or Thomasine arose about the year 1350, and was popular as a font-name over the whole country till the 18th century. It is found in every register in every conceivable form, including Tamzen and Tomson. No doubt Thomasin, as a surname, has long been lost in Thomason or Thomson. . . . For other instances, v. Thomas. Thomasset, Tompsett, Thomsett, Tomsett.--Bapt. 'the son of Thomas,' from the dim. Thomas-et. The p in Tompsett is intrusive, as in Thompson. Although there cannot be the shadow of a doubt about the origin of this surname, I have not come upon any early instances. Thomerson--Bapt. A corruption of Thomasson (v.Thomas). Thomlinson, Thomlin.--Bapt. 'the son of Thomas,' from the nick. Thom, and the dim. Thom-lin; v. Tomlin for early instances. Thoms.--Bapt. 'the son of Thomas,' from the nick. Thom (later on Tom), and genitive Thoms. Hence Thomson. v.Thom. Thomson, Thompson.--Bapt. 'the son of Thome,' i.e. Thomas (v.Thom). The p in Thompson is, of course, intrusive. Tamblyn, Tamlin, Tamlyn.--Bapt. 'the son of Thomas,' from the nick. Tom (commonly Tam) and dim. Tomlin (commonly Tamlin). The b in Tamblin is the usual excrescence; cf. Hamblin for Hamlin, and v. Tomblin, Tamplin, and Tomlin. It is interesting to notice how determinately the o in Tom became a. Even Tomlinson is found as Taminson. Tamlin, -lyn; v. Tamblyn. Tamplin.--Bapt. 'the son of Thomas.' The order is Thomas, nick. Tom, dim. Thomelin or Tomlin, North or South-West English Tamlin, then with intrusive but inevitable p, Tamplin; cf. Thompson and Thomson from same root. v. Tomlin, Tamblyn, and Taplin. Tamson, Tams.--Bapt. 'the son of Thomas,' from the nick. Tom (commonly Tam) and patronymic Tams or Tamson; v. Tamblyn, Tamplin, &c. Taplin, Tapling.--Bapt. 'the son of Thomas,' from nick. Tom, and dim. Tamlin, which became Tamplin (q.v), corrupted to Taplin. Thus the p is intrusive as in Tompson, and the g excrescent as in Robling or Hewlings; cf. Tapson for Tampson. Tappin, Tapping.--Bapt. 'the son of Thomas,' a corruption of Tamplin, q.v. Tapson.--Bapt. 'the son of Thomas,' a corruption of Tampson (v. Tamplin and Tamblyn), just as Taplin is a corruption of Tamplin (i.e.Tamlin, or Tomlin). Tolmin, Tolming, Toulmin.--Bapt. 'the son of Thomas,' a curious inversion of Tomlin. I have no absolute proof of this, but I cannot doubt it. If I am wrong, then these names are variants of Toleman, q.v. In Furness and the neighbouring district, where Tomlin and Tomlinson (now often Townson, q.v.) were very familiar, we find Tolming settled for generations. Tolson, Toulson, Towlson, Towlsion.--(I) Bapt. 'the son of Thomas.' Odd as it may seem, these are but corruptions of Tomlinson, and in the Lake District and other parts of North England they have gone through the stages of Towlinson and Towlason to Towlson. Townson (q.v.) is the popular modern form. Tom.--Bapt. 'the son of Thomas,' from the nick. Tom; v. Toms. Tomalin.--bapt. 'the son of Thomas,' a corruption of Tomblinson; v. Tomblin. Tomblin, Tomblinson.--Bapt. 'the son of Thomas,' from the nick. Tom, dim. Tom-lin, with usual excrescent b after m; cf. Timbs and Tombs, and v. Tomlin. Tombs, Toombs.--Bapt. 'the son of Thomas,' from the nick. Tom, patr. Toms, with intrusive b after m; cf. Tomblin. Tomes; v. Toms, of which it is a variant. Cf. Times, a variant of Tims or Timms; v. Timm. Tomkin, Tomkins, Tomkinson, Tomkies.--Bapt. 'the son of Thomas,' from the nick. Thom, by and by reduced to Tom, dim. Tom-kin (v. kin, Introd. p. 25). Tomkies, of course, is a corruption of Tomkins, as Perkiss or Parkies is of Perkins. Thomlin, Tomlins, Tomlinson, Tomlyn.--Bapt. 'the son of Thomas,' from the nick. Tom, and dim. Tom-lin; v. Thomlinson. Tompkin, Tompkins.--Bapt. 'the son of Thomas,' from the nick. Tom and dim. Tom-kin. The p is intrusive, as in Thompson; cf. Wilkin, Watkin, Simpkin, &c. v. Tomkin. Tompsett; v. Thomasset. Tompson.--Bapt. 'the son of Thomas,' from the nick. Tom. The p is intrusive as in Tompkins, Simpkins, &c.; v. Thomson. Toms, Tomes, Tomson.--Bapt. 'the son of Thomas,' from the nick. Tom' v. Thom and Tombs. Tomsett; v. Thomasset. Towerson.--Bapt. 'the son of Thomas,' one of endless corruptions of Tomlinson (v. Tolson and Townson). the stages of corruption were first Towleson, then Towenson, then Towerson ; cf. Catterson for Catlinson, or Patterson for Pattinson. Townson.--Bapt. 'the son of Thomas.' However odd this may seem to be, it is unmistakably true. Townson is a North Lancashire corruption of the great Furness surname Tomlinson through the stage Towenson. Of this there cannot be the shadow of a doubt. Even now Townson is pronounced Tone-son in the district. [**Note by Linda Thompson Jonas: The surname Townson is not the same as the surname Townsend which means 'at the town-end,' but Townson may have been misinterpreted as Townsend after emigration to other areas. Do not dismiss DNA matches to the surname Townsend or Townshend.] Towson.--Bapt. 'the son of Thomas,' an abbreviated form of Townson, q.v. This corruption is early found in North Lancashire, where Townson and Towson, &c. arose. Towson is thus but a modification of Towenson as that is of Tomlinson.
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