A Scottish surname meaning 'son of Thomas'. Notable bearers include physicist J.J. Thomson who discovered the electron, and various other scientists, writers, and public figures.
From Middle English, literally 'son of Thomas', using the patronymic suffix '-son'. Thomas itself comes from Aramaic 'Te'oma' meaning 'twin'. Scottish and Northern English variant of 'Thompson', showing regional spelling differences.
The Thomson spelling versus Thompson reveals interesting patterns of Scottish versus English naming traditions - the 'p' was often dropped in Scottish usage. J.J. Thomson's discovery of the electron makes this surname synonymous with atomic physics, showing how personal names can become attached to scientific breakthroughs.
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