My Search: Thomas Beddingfield

My Search As I trudged to the library, I dreaded the weeks to come in my English class. We were beginning the research papers on our names. Apart from trivial inquiries to my dad as a little boy, I knew nothing about my name, and I knew nothing about writing research papers. When class began, Mrs. Beddingfield had each of us stand up and say our name, casually commenting on a unique trait each name held. Then, after a brief moment of reflection, she gave us a quote: “It was Juliet that said ‘What’s in a name?’. That is what your paper will answer.” With that, I found the focal point of my research: what’s special about my first, middle, and last names? Firstly, I grabbed the closest books available. I wrote down each book’s citation …show more content…
Being the brother of twins, this was a very amusing coincidence to me. Its origin also makes a logical connection to notable Thomases throughout history, as Thomas is a biblical character, the one who had Jesus prove himself to be resurrected to the Apostles. Other famed people dubbed Thomas include two presidents, an inventor, and eighteen saints (behindthename.com). A number of Hollywood superstars have been named Thomas as well; however, these actors use the popular derivative Tom, such as Castaway character Tom Hanks and Marvel’s god of mischief Tom Hiddleston (names.org). Other substitutes for the name Thomas include Tommy, Thom, Thompson, and Tomm (Astoria). Despite its many derivatives, the actual name Thomas has always been fairly popular. It is currently the 54th most popular name in the United States. This number is part of a steady, inexplicable decline since Thomas’s peak in 1951. In that year, nearly three percent of babies born were named Thomas (behindthename.com). Today, most babies named Thomas are born in Montana (behindthename.com), Wisconsin or Pennsylvania (names.org). I was not specifically given my name based on popularity or its meaning, though. My parents named me Thomas to honor my grandfather and my great-grandfather on my mother’s side (C. Axton). I have been told that the three of us are very similar in how we speak and …show more content…
However, it is also thought to be the product of the pre-7th century Olde English words “isca”, meaning water, and “tun”, meaning farm. Records of the name Axton began in 1662, with a Jacob Axton owning land on St. David’s Island. As of 2000, there are only 806 Axtons in the United States. My closest family members make Mississippi the state with the third-largest concentration for Axtons, trailing Indiana and Oklahoma (surnamedb.com). To us, the Axtons have always represented strength and perseverance. These feelings stem from a family story of 11 orphaned siblings that had to find homes for themselves (C. Axton). Stories like this one have always given me a sense of pride in my last