TRACY THOMAS

Transferred use of the surname, in origin a Norman baronial name from places in France called Tracy, from the Gallo-Roman personal name Thracius + the local suffix -acum. In former times, Tracy was occasionally used as a boy's name, as were the surnames of other English noble families. Later, it was also used as a girl's name, generally being taken as a pet form of Theresa. It became a very popular girl's name in the 1960s and 70s, but has gradually declined since. It continues to be used as a boy's name in the United States but is rarely, if ever, so used 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.