The meaning of the name Thomas is meaningless?

Question

I know it means "twin" referring to the twin of jesus, but thats exactly my point it does not have any meaning to a person with the name Thomas. Some names mean stuff like "strength" and "beautiful", but "twin" does not actually mean anything if you think about it.

Some of you might say that for a Christian that name shows how close they are to jesus and god, but what if you are an athiest or are not actually a christian.

I hope you see the point im trying to make.

In all of this i am primarly thinking about Thomas as a surname as this is a name that gets passed down through the generations. Id like your oppinion and suggestions on the matter.

(N.B. I dont want to cause offence to anyone with the name Thomas, all im trying to do is get to the crux of the meaning of the word)

Answer 1

Well at least you don't have the name Holly which pretty much means tree. -_- Lol!

Answer 2

No offense at all, here..

but something I mention frequently.. when doing genealogy.. the meaning of ANY name is not relevant.  There are numerous resources concerning "meaning" of both first and last names.

Consider most women, who take their husband's surname through marriage. It changes nothing as to their personality, character, or anything else.

Surname etymology is a valid study in and of itself.. to determine the (accepted) origin of a name. Any name can come from numerous places, not just one. Surnames in individual instances, are (most of the time) simply a label by which a person is linked to their parents.

Genealogy is NOT the same as surname origin. It is the (hopefully) methodical and reliable tracing of one's ancestry. Nothing in genealogy should have judgement attached, as to good/bad.  The goal is objective and non judgemental facts.

I cannot comment on what the 'origin' of Thomas is.  All I am offering is the observation that a person is, who he/she is, and their surname is completely random.

Answer 3

If you're looking Thomas as a LAST name, then you should be comparing it with other last names -- many of which are jobs (smith, wagner (or variations of waggoner) and such), or various languages' versions of "son of" or "from" rather than things like "sweatheart" or "brave" and such.

But then, I don't know anyone who cares much about the meanings of names, really.

Thomas (first or last), is probably not the only commony name with not LOADS of "personality-rich" meaning.

You can't say it's meaningLESS, as it does have a meaning.

When you think of what names are really for, they're so you can get someone's attention in a group or from a distance, to refer to a person unambigiously. (Newsflash for George Forman!)

So, when you have a situation where people don't have unique names, you get workarounds -- the Greensville Johnsons (as opposed to the Duncan's Mills' Jonhsons); or Britney M. vs. Britney D. in school.

"What's in a name; a Thomas by any other name would smell just as sweaty."

Answer 4

Wendy's right, names have become meaningless in our culture, which is sad.  I mean, they meant something originally, but we don't name out kids to ward off evil or honor past relatives or people who were important to us -- we name kids names we think are cool or pretty or unusual.  

Too bad!  

Some families maintain naming traditions, and some cultures do, but virtually no one names one half of a pair of twins "Thomas," because of what it means.  Besides, what would you name the other one?

Answer 5

It means "a Twin". Peter (Petros) means "A Rock".

"A rock" could be El Capitan, a majestic granite outcropping 2,500 feet tall that inspires awe in thousands of visitors to Yosemite every day, or something annoying the size of a BB that you have to take out of your shoe.

"Theodore" means "A gift of God". "Ted" is short for "Theodore". That doesn't make me better than the rest of the world. Wiser, wittier, warmer and better looking, yes, but there are people who are not named "Theodore" who have managed to overcome the handicap of their name, whatever it was, and lead moderately productive lives.

Some of them win Nobel prizes, some Olympic gold, some are world-famous surgeons, some have 20-room mansions in the Loire Valley, some have more than $5.67 in their checking accounts, a few have teen-aged children who listen to their advice. Paltry rewards compared to having the name "Theodore", but they cope.

"Thomas" meant "Twin" long before Jesus' time. "Peter" meant "a rock" long before too.

A name is a name As long as you don't get saddled with "Saddam Hussein Jones" or "Adolf Hitler Zimmerman" by parents caught up in a short-lived frenzy, you are what you are and your name is a handy label. Live with it.

If you MUST be jealous of those of us who are a gift from God, feel free. We can take it. Tolerance is a gift too.