Meaning and background
The story behind Tomlinson
Tomlinson is an English surname formed with the patronymic ending -son. The Dictionary of American Family Names traces it through the medieval personal name Thomelin or Tomelin, related to Tom. In other words, its history concerns a family relationship rather than the English word “son” standing alone. For a dog, it creates a rather formal surname-style alternative to Tommy.
- Origin
- English patronymic surname from the Middle English personal name T(h)omelin plus -son, “son of Tomlin”. Source
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About Tomlinson
Recorded as a dog’s name
Tomlinson appears in 2 dog licence records in the 2023 New York City dataset.
How to read this count
These records cover New York City and may count the same dog in more than one licence period. They are not a national popularity ranking.
Pronunciation and rhythm
/tɑmlɪnsən/
US English sound sequence, converted from the CMU dictionary. Stress marks are shown separately.
Stress on the first syllable in the recorded US readings.
View dictionary notation
/tɑmlɪnsən/ · primary stress on syllable 1T AA1 M L IH0 N S AH0 N
These are US dictionary readings. Personal, regional and other language pronunciations may differ.
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Sources and research notes (2)
- New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene NYC Dog Licensing Dataset — all seven available extract years, retrieved 24 October 2026 — Recorded name spellings in NYC licence-period rows, extract years 2016–2018, 2022–2024 and 2026. Evidence selects one stated year per name. Annual snapshots overlap; never sum them as unique dogs. No national popularity, etymology or owner naming-intent claim.
- Carnegie Mellon University / CMU Sphinx maintainers CMU US English Pronouncing Dictionary — US English dictionary readings; not owner-specific or exhaustive multilingual pronunciation
References support the individual facts shown. A source link does not mean the entire profile has been verified.