Raw Counts by State
The states with the most Thomas Johnsons in absolute numbers are also the most populous states overall. This isn't surprising, but it sets the baseline for understanding regional patterns. (Source: U.S. Census Bureau surname data)
Top 10 states by estimated Thomas Johnson count:
California: ~95,000
Texas: ~88,000
Florida: ~72,000
New York: ~55,000
Georgia: ~52,000
North Carolina: ~48,000
Pennsylvania: ~45,000
Ohio: ~42,000
Illinois: ~40,000
Virginia: ~38,000
These ten states alone account for roughly 47% of all Thomas Johnsons in the country, which closely tracks their share of the overall U.S. population.
States with fewer than 3,000 Thomas Johnsons:
Vermont, Wyoming, North Dakota, South Dakota, Alaska, Hawaii, Delaware, Rhode Island, Montana, Maine. Most of these are small states by population. Hawaii is the notable exception, where the name shows up less often than population alone would predict.
Per-Capita Concentration
The more interesting view is per-capita. Which states have the highest density of Thomas Johnsons relative to their total population? This is where the regional patterns emerge clearly. (Source: Social Security Administration name data)
Top 10 states by Thomas Johnson concentration per 100,000 residents:
Mississippi: ~620
Alabama: ~595
Louisiana: ~570
Georgia: ~555
South Carolina: ~540
Tennessee: ~525
Arkansas: ~510
North Carolina: ~495
Virginia: ~470
Kentucky: ~460
The pattern is striking. Every state in the top ten is in the South or Southeast. The southeastern concentration reflects a few overlapping factors. Johnson is one of the most common surnames among Black Americans, partly because it was a frequently taken or assigned surname during and after slavery. The Great Migration shifted some of this population north and west, but a substantial concentration remained in the southeastern states.
Bottom 10 states by per-capita concentration:
Hawaii, North Dakota, Vermont, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Alaska, South Dakota, New Mexico, Utah.
Most of these are in the Mountain West or have demographic profiles where neither Thomas nor Johnson historically concentrated.
Regional Patterns
Looking at concentration by region rather than individual state reveals broader trends.
The Southeast (highest concentration): Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, South Carolina, Tennessee, North Carolina, Virginia, Arkansas, Kentucky. This region has the highest density of Thomas Johnsons in the country. The combination of historical Scotch-Irish settlement (which spread the Johnson surname) and post-emancipation surname adoption created a sustained concentration that persists today.
The Midwest (moderate-high concentration): Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Missouri, Iowa. The Great Migration brought many Thomas Johnsons to industrial cities like Detroit, Chicago, Cleveland, and St. Louis. The name remained common in these areas through the mid-20th century and continues to show up in moderate density.
The Mid-Atlantic (moderate concentration): New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware. The name is common here but somewhat diluted by the broader diversity of surnames present in these states.
The West (low concentration): California, Oregon, Washington, Nevada, Arizona, Colorado, Utah, Idaho. While California has high absolute numbers, the per-capita rate is below the national average. Names of Latin American, Asian, and other origins make up a larger share of the population, reducing the relative frequency of names like Thomas Johnson.
The Northeast (mixed concentration): Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine. Concentration here varies widely. Older industrial cities have moderate counts. Rural New England has very few.
City-Level Hotspots
Within states, Thomas Johnsons cluster in specific cities. The largest concentrations by metro area follow predictable patterns based on overall population and demographics. (Source: U.S. Census Bureau city-level data)
Metro areas with the most Thomas Johnsons:
New York metro: ~38,000
Los Angeles metro: ~32,000
Chicago metro: ~22,000
Atlanta metro: ~21,000
Houston metro: ~19,000
Dallas-Fort Worth metro: ~17,000
Washington D.C. metro: ~16,000
Philadelphia metro: ~15,000
Miami metro: ~14,000
Detroit metro: ~12,000
Atlanta stands out for having a high count relative to its overall metro size, reflecting both the southeastern concentration of the name and the substantial Black population in the Atlanta region.
On a percentage basis, smaller metro areas in Mississippi, Alabama, and Louisiana have the highest density. In Jackson, Mississippi, roughly one in 1,800 residents is named Thomas Johnson. In Birmingham, Alabama, the rate is about one in 1,900.
Migration Patterns Over Time
The geography of the name has shifted over the past century. A century ago, most Thomas Johnsons lived in the rural South. By the mid-20th century, large numbers had moved to industrial centers in the Midwest and Northeast as part of the Great Migration.
The reverse migration that began in the 1970s and accelerated through the 2000s brought many descendants back to the Southeast, particularly to growing metro areas like Atlanta, Charlotte, and Houston. This shift is partly responsible for the strong Atlanta concentration today.
Looking at internal migration data, Thomas Johnsons have been moving in these general directions over the past two decades:
Out of: New York, California, Illinois, New Jersey, Michigan
Into: Texas, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Arizona, Tennessee
This mirrors broader American migration trends. The Thomas Johnson population isn't moving for unique reasons. They're following the same economic and lifestyle forces that drive overall domestic migration.
Census projections suggest that by 2040, the southeastern share of Thomas Johnsons will grow further while the share in the Rust Belt and Northeast will continue to decline.
International Distribution
The name isn't exclusively American. Thomas Johnsons exist in significant numbers across the English-speaking world.
The United Kingdom has an estimated 80,000 to 100,000 people named Thomas Johnson, concentrated in England (especially northern England and the West Midlands) and Scotland. Canada has approximately 30,000 to 40,000, with the largest concentrations in Ontario and the Maritime provinces. Australia has around 15,000 to 20,000. New Zealand has roughly 4,000 to 5,000.
In non-English-speaking countries, the equivalent forms of the name (Tomás Johnson, Thomas Jansson, Tomas Janssen) appear in smaller numbers. Scandinavia has variants of the Johnson surname (Jansson, Johansen, Jensen) that share the same patronymic origin, but combinations with Thomas are less common.
The global total of people using some form of 'Thomas Johnson' or its direct linguistic equivalents is likely between 1.5 and 1.8 million, depending on how strictly you define equivalent names.