Thomas is a basic and common name in America. The same can not be said for its meaning. When I was a child, I would watch Thomas the Tank Engine on our family television for hours. Until only a few years ago, I believed that I was named after Thomas the Tank Engine. This, of course, excited me. It led to my parents buying me numerous Thomas the Tank Engine toys. 

Thomas The Tank Engine was the first thing I ever watched on TV. What first got me interested in other shows, video games, and electronics. To me, Thomas was my best friend. He was there with me through my whole childhood. Though I'm now grown up, I still take pride in sharing a name with something that made my childhood so enjoyable.

My name was derived from a Christian saint. St. Thomas. Thomas was referenced multiple times in the bible. Mostly for doubting Jesus’s revival and demanding proof of the Resurrection. “The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe.” John 20:25. 

My parents Religious naming sense continued for the rest of my siblings. My Brother Andrew was named after the Apostle Andrew while my sister Catherines middle name, “Mary” refers to Mary the Blessed Virgin. Whenever I approach a church it always holds a strong connection to my name. The stained glass. As a child, I remember seeing my name written on the stained glass of a church. Thinking it was referring to me.

My name has been broken down and derived into multiple nicknames. Tommy, Tommy boy, Timtom, Tom. Timtom was a name that my sister Catherine made for me and still calls me. She is the only one I let call me that. A connection between me and her. Tommy boy was a nickname that my second grade teacher first called me. Mr. Laird. He and I were about as close as a student and Teacher could get. He was my favorite teacher. And on the rare occasions that someone else calls me Tommy Boy, I think of Mr. Laird.

Our family has since drifted away from religion. Our names seem to have lost some meaning because of this. but they can mean whatever we want. A name doesn’t hold a single meaning. Names are constantly changing. A name to one person, doesn't necessarily mean the same thing to another. It's just another step in growing and evolving as a person. 

My name now represents my connections to my friends and siblings. The pleasant years of my childhood. While I did not pick it, I would not change my name. it has evolved into something I can be proud of.