T'oma

This name derives from the Aramaic “tūmā,” (Hebrew: te’oma), (Ancient Greek: Thōmâs ‘θωμᾶσ’), meaning “twin, double, (astrology) Gemini.” The given name of Thomas the apostle was Yehuda (Jude, Judas). Originally it was not a proper name but an epithet of a figure of the New Testament. In the New Testament, the name refers to “Judas Thomas,” the second Judas of the Apostles (hence his name of ‘twin’). The use as a name has its origin and becomes more common in the early Middle Ages, with significant carriers including Thomas the Presbyter (7th-century) and Thomas the Slav (8th-century).