The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1908-08-02
1.y su,l,,,e1 nrant oilpllant, A. BIC rh. y.


By Samuel Grant Oiipiihnt, A. M PHI. u.
The names considered to-day:
TalIaferro. Teller, Te1ford. Thomas,
Thompson, Tome, Toombs. Trevelyan,
Trew. Triggs.
,r0Ontbs, Tome nnh Thompson.
These are equivalent patronymics
sIgnifying Ntt1e son of Thomas"
The personal name Thomas comes to
us in this Grheczed form from the
Atamic name or surname OF Apostle.
This was adopted Into the Latin and
thence into Anglo SAXON. The latter
also nattiraliaed 1T aa Tomiis. The
|nurse-nan,e OF tfili liz Tom. wheiice
the common patfonynics Toms. TOM
son ahd TorlKih etc. 80
The 'b' in the original Creek, Latin
attd Ahglu-sAxon Thbi:tas AID the
early English Tomus was long Con-
| saauently tlia abbreviated Tom was
| originally pronounced witnthe "o'' long.
lThe natural Tendency In our lhng liasa
| It's shorten a long ypwei thus situated
gave us our rom With the 90 short,
Iahd also leyl to attempts to preserve
1.-THE original pronunciation. The most
itdinntot way of doing this Is to ititi-
caate the long sound by the addition
| 6f a final .'e.'' Thus VIC distinguish he.
Il
and pine, not and note, tut and ttihe.
etc. Similarly we have Tome 10 pre-.
serve the long 90 of Tom. THIS 'siiick-
Iname.' as we rather improperly call
such forms. becaiiie Itself patrohy-
mic ana served MS base to form other
phtrnhytnfcs. Hshce. . for Instance,
/ TONES. by the addition of Eehitival
IS"
Another device to preservs tho long
Z AF ~ IA 4
i bic the letter. Hence we have the
patronyfnits T6nirt and Toonis, probably
both obsolete in these particular forms
From Tobiils. however. with the ather
common Intrusion OF a 81" after the
I'm we get the surname Tombs, Siini-
larry the older Toms game Tombs. still
far more frequent both In England and
America Than Toombs.
i TON agair Is naturally the parent
OF Turnson and Tomkin. These fire.
i quertlv admit an intrusive 'p,'' which
IL really a 'b" srarpened or assimiiated
before the sharp sound of TX" or IS
| 'rompkins. Later tie latter adds an.
other patfonyniic sufflx and gives rist
To the double Hatronymics Totnpkiiis
ana Tompkinson.
Thomas was Thon From this BY
similar processes. grew the pntrohy
mic stirnatnes Thorn. Thot1s. Tho1ne
Themes. THOMSON. Thompson.
VIC have still many other tiativ,
patfonyrnicH from Thomas, such al
Thomas itself, .Thomason, Thonassofi
T Thssss Th hsnssa rh sGtnfsS
Thon,iin. iFhomlinson, Tomaln, Tom
lin, Tonillis, Toiniinson. Toiniyn. Tom
lgns To5hh,gnso 1nbl' Tgmbin
Tonpsett, Towson. !. Townson. TAR
Tainlln, Tariilyn, Tamblyn, Tamplir
Tams.. Tainson and still others. II "
: SHOULD ehumerate the many, foreig
equivalents brought to our shores b
times as-NonE. Yet Thomas Is not on
OF the most prolific names In on
n9msnela,use hlsar tsa1 petsr Hpgt
!. in forming patfonytiiics.
/; THE story III Th8hns.
. The. Aramaic Tahma which tho Gree1
. turned into THOMAS Is defined for u
9 by the evangelist John (xl. 16; Xxx. "a
xxi ~. Thomas, which Ia called ''Didy
mus" p, pliaNmus ls Creek a. ana mean L,
q Thomas. The Hebrew orisnal Is foun
/, In Genesis XIV. "a and xxxvlii. ~ and I
1 Canticles Nv. and vii. 3. always 4
the plural.
i. Ohs tradition makes the Apostl
: THOMAS Tie twin brother of slste
Z Ltsia, another OF brother Eliesei
!. makes .ss him twin 81 jesus hinssl
This e me account given zen. X ,i th
o The saliio source, together with tn
s syriac Doetrina Apostolorurn and til
/; Edessehe legend. preserved IN, Fuse
! bius tn; z. "a 4',,,a 1o'' gives his per
/. Hence some idehtIfy him. with Iuda!
!, the brother or Jesus. Parthia and III
I dia are represented rs The scenes q
: his missionary labors. The Pafthia
sect OF the Christians OF st. Thomas. i
), South India. claim him as their founde
i Along With other apostolic name
: Thomas spread al over Nnropn VII w
!; t tuey Tla iiuiidred Rolls dsTsJ sho
several variants Of IT. The records {
the next century fairly ts sh with tn II
: Arehblshop of Canterbury, Thomas
!, Beckett. gave great vogue to the nam
: : Myrads Of pilgrims resorted to h
shrine and helpea e spread ma POI q
J, martyr tyr for ecclesiastlcal prefogatIvc
9 and his name i. still FREQUENT one
that t, land, Wien n the ~ Po s,I,ssn,
s century they discovered the legsndal
I tomb az the apostolic tiilsslonar
J. TRANSPORTED his relics 10 Goa. and mat
s him their patron saint.
4 Az d SURNAME Thomas aboutlds no
!. mostly In Soutl Wales, the bord,
shires Of England and n Cornwal
!. ,rh olnpsor has ovafruft the create
% part, OF England. The Scotch preft
u thomson, without the alien p, To-
a is not common outside OF Cornwall, NJ
X Toms outside 81. Devonshire. Tompkf
4 is strong In tiiibkinghahshlre. as
Il Tones also Gloucestershlre and, O.
:" fordsllire arc the great homes OF Y
Tomhs ana Toonbs. Thonl Is only spt
Ia radlc outside Of Scotland.
II 'itrlHSs, TreN.
q These twain strnatnes are OF II
le Same ultimate origin, though they be
y 1ong to differef1t classes and come fro
!, different languages
a rho former IL n patronymlc,. ar
\ means tie ''son OF 'rrlg." rhe Latte
!. Ia descriptive nickname. and meal
the, trnsty faithful" Tris ar
II true are. however, sisters. the. forM'
d N Old Morse. the latter AM TO- Saxon.
ar Tryggvl was a favorite old Northei
I'D name. Tho Norscmcn brought tt
ne England, and both rricga and Tr
10 are found in the Danish parts of En-
I'd land prior to the Conquest, The.
We're PERSONAL names, of course. II
of a,,,,a ,,. a nh vrrtrns IL HfnnnHE