Tommy

We were surprised to learn that Tommy dates back to the late 1800s on the American charts. The name feels too nicknamey to be given independently, but we were wrong. Of course Tommy has never been as popular as Thomas; it has managed to survive independently on the charts. In fact, Tommy was even a Top 100 favorite in America for the 20 years between 1934 and 1954. The name’s successful usage was probably owed to Tommy Dorsey, the hugely popular composer and bandleader (and jazz trombonist) from the Big Band era of music (1930s to 50s). Since the 1960s, though, Tommy has been on a downwards trajectory and is now used with only the lightest of moderation. We also associate the name with The Who’s groundbreaking rock opera simply titled “Tommy” (1969) about a “deaf, dumb and blind” kid who assumes a Messiah-type role among his many followers and disciples. We also recall a 1995 road comedy “Tommy Boy” about a dim-witted but well-intentioned heir to an auto parts empire. Tommy is just one of those quintessential “little boy” names. It’s extremely youthful and colloquial to be given as a legal first name, yet many parents prefer these super laid-back and informal pet forms of names. There are a lot of them on the American male naming charts: Eddie, Jimmy, Billy, Willie, Ronnie, Frankie, Danny, Kenny, and Johnny. Even Sonny is on the list. But there’s something about Tommy that feels the most youthful and sweet. If you want to toughen up this name a bit, we suggest you use “Lee” for a middle name (referring to Tommy Lee of Mötley Crüe or Tommy Lee Jones the rough-and-tumble American actor).