CLYDE THOMAS

Mainly North American: from the name of a river in south-west Scotland that runs through Glasgow, perhaps by way of a surname derived from the river name, although for many Scottish emigrants it was the point of departure from Scotland. The given name gained some currency, especially in the American South. The bank robber Clyde Barrow became something of a cult figure after the film Bonnie and Clyde (1967), in which he was played by Warren Beatty.

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.