BRADLEY THOMAS

Transferred use of the surname, in origin a local name from any of the numerous places in England so called from Old English brād ‘broad’ + lēah ‘wood, clearing’. The most famous American bearer of this surname was General Omar N. Bradley (1893–1981). As a given name it used to be found mainly in North America but of late has come into fashion in Britain.

English, French, German, Dutch, Danish, and South Indian: from the medieval personal name, of Biblical origin, from Aramaic t’ōm’a, a byname meaning ‘twin’. It was borne by one of the disciples of Christ, best known for his scepticism about Christ's resurrection (John 20:24–29). The th- spelling is organic, the initial letter of the name in the Greek New Testament being a theta. The English pronunciation as t rather than th- is the result of French influence from an early date. In Britain the surname is widely distributed throughout the country, but especially common in Wales and Cornwall. The Ukrainian form is Choma. It is found as a personal name among Christians in India, and in the U.S. is used as a family name among families from southern India.