CRYSTAL THOMAS

19th-century coinage, which has recently enjoyed some popularity. This is one of the group of names taken from or suggestive of gemstones. The word crystal, denoting high-quality cut glass, is derived from Greek krystallos ‘ice’. As a boy's name, Crystal originated as a Scottish pet form of Christopher, but it is rarely used today.

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.