Toomey
An Irish surname, most commonly an Anglicized form of an old Gaelic family name, especially associated with Munster.
The #4,722 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 41,111 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Toomey is generally treated as an Anglicized form of the Irish surname Ó Tuama, often written in older sources as O'Twomey or Twomey. The Gaelic name is usually explained from tuama, meaning “tomb” or “grave,” though some older writers offered other speculative links. In practice, Toomey, Twomey, Twoomey, and Tuomy are all part of the same surname family.
History
The name is traditionally Irish and is especially well known in southern Ireland, particularly Cork, with later branches also recorded in Dublin and Limerick. Nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century surname scholars regularly grouped Toomey with Twomey and related spellings as the same Irish family name. The spelling Toomey is one of several Anglicized forms that became fixed in English-language records.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Older surname compilations often list Toomey right alongside Twomey, showing how fluid Irish spelling could be in English records.
From the historical record
“Thomas, Tomisch; p.n. Toomey. N. Tumi (pet n. for Thomas) ; D.B. Tumie, Tumme, Tombi; p.n. Toone. From Thuin ; a loc. n., Belg. Or Dch. Tuin; D. Thun;”
— British Family Names: their origin and meaning (2nd ed.)