Etymology & Historical Origin of the Baby Name Thaddeus

Thaddeus is a Biblical name that appears with some confusion in the New Testament. He is called out specifically as one of Jesus’ Twelve Disciples in Matthew 10:3, to whom Christ gave “authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every affliction.” The disciples are named: Simon-Peter, Andrew, James (son of Zebedee), John, Philip, Bartholomew, Thomas, Matthew, James (son of Alphaeus), Thaddeus, Simon and Judas Iscariot. Thaddeus is also specifically named as one of the Twelve Apostles in Mark 3:18. However, in Luke 6:16 and Acts 1:13 the name Thaddeus is changed to “Judas the son of James”. The names of the other disciples/apostles are not changed, so there’s been some scholarly debate over this Biblical discrepancy in the New Testament. Tradition holds that the two are the same person; he is therefore commonly referred to as Jude Thaddeus (which also conveniently served to differentiate “Judas the son of James” from the bad-boy disciple Judas Iscariot). Thaddeus is the Latin form of the Aramaic “Thaddai” which is of uncertain origin but is said to mean “brave, heart” as in “courageous” or else “friend”. It may also be an Aramaic form of the Greek Theodōros (Θεοδωρος) meaning “God’s gift” from the elements “theos” (God) and “dōron” (gift). Thaddeus is a rarely used name today which makes it an excellent choice for Christian-conscious parents seeking a lesser known Biblical name but one of key significance. Like Bartholomew. Tad, Ted, Teddy, Thad and Theo are all possible nicknames.

All About the Baby Name – Thaddeus

Personality

OF THE BOY NAME THADDEUS

The number one personality is a leader - strong and competitive. They are willing to initiate action and take risks. One personalities work hard toward their endeavors and have the ability to apply their creative and innovative thinking skills with strong determination. They believe in their ability to succeed and are too stubborn to be hindered by obstacles. Ones meet obstacles head-on with such mental vigor and energy that you better step aside. They resent taking orders, so don't try telling them what to do either. This is an intensely active personality, but they are also known as starters rather than finishers. They have a propensity to become bored and will move quickly to the next project if not properly challenged.  They are the ones to think up and put into action new and brilliant ideas, but they are not the ones to stick around and manage them. This personality has an enthusiastic and pioneering spirit. They are distinctly original.

Popularity

OF THE BOY NAME THADDEUS

Thaddeus is another “old-man” name that may be on the verge of a comeback. Well, maybe that’s overstating reality. This name actually dates back to the days of colonial America – super old-school and obscurely Biblical. We try not to play favorites, but how can you not love this name? It’s so quirky and different. Totally original and totally neglected. Thaddeus was a name used with the lightest of moderation for most of the 20th century and then quickly went out of style in the 1990s and at the turn of this new century. Right now old Thaddeus is barely hanging on to the Top 1000 list of baby boy names currently in circulation. In other words, this is a name off the American radar. We’d consider Thaddeus an appealing alternative to the more common Theodore for parents with a “brave-heart” and those who don’t follow the sheep-herding mentality of naming trends today. This is a name that has survived over 2,000 years of usage and he carries with him several positive possible etymologies. Not to mention he was one of Jesus’ 12 main “friends”. A little “gift from God”, right?

Quick Facts

ON THADDEUS

GENDER:

Boy

ORIGIN:

Greek

NUMBER OF SYLLABLES:

3

RANKING POPULARITY:

797

PRONUNCIATION:

THAD-ee-əs

SIMPLE MEANING:

Brave-heart; Friend; God’s gift

Characteristics

OF THADDEUS

Independent

Individualistic

Ambitious

Strong-willed

Inventive

Successful

Cultural References to the Baby Name – Thaddeus

Literary Characters

OF THE BABY NAME THADDEUS

We cannot find any significant literary characters by the name of Thaddeus

Childrens Books

ON THE BABY NAME THADDEUS

We cannot find any childrens books with the first name Thaddeus


Popular Songs

ON THADDEUS

We cannot find any popular or well-known songs with the name of Thaddeus


Famous People

NAMED THADDEUS

Thaddeus Young (basketball player)
Thaddeus Lewis (football player)
Thaddeus Gibson (football player)
Thaddeus Stevens (politician)
Thaddeus "Thad" Luckinbill (daytime actor)

Children of Famous People

NAMED THADDEUS

We cannot find any children of famous people with the first name Thaddeus

Historic Figures

WITH THE NAME THADDEUS

We cannot find any historically significant people with the first name Thaddeus