a relevantish video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_h5YmbhpI5c

Wikipedia has this to say on the name, Thaddeus:

Thaddaeus or Thaddeus or "Thaddeo" for daddio (Greek Θαδδαῖος, Thaddaios, from Aramaic תדי, Taddai) is a man's given name. It is most likely derived from the Aramaic word תדא, taddā, meaning 'breast', which would be a nickname for a close friend, as in 'bosom buddy', or a younger brother.

The name has numerous other forms, including Tad, Tadzio, Thad. In Armenian, the name is Թադէոս, T'adeos, or (short form) Թադէ, T'ade.

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[edit] People

• Thaddaeus, usually identified with the Apostle Jude, is mentioned in the Gospels of Matthew and Mark as among the Twelve Apostles.
• Thaddaeus (or Thaddeus) of Edessa was according to Christian tradition one of the Seventy Disciples. He is said to have been sent as a missionary to Edessa in Mesopotamia.
• Taddeo Gaddi (c.1300-1366), an Italian painter, active during the early Renaissance
• Taddeo di Bartolo, a Sienese painter active up to 1422.
• Taddeo Zuccari or Zuccaro (1529-1566), an Italian painter, member of the Roman school of Mannerism
• Thaddeus Stevens (1792-1868), leader of the Radical Republicans during the American Civil War and Reconstruction
• Francisco Tadeo Calomarde y Arría (1775-1842), a Spanish statesman
• José Tadeo Monagas (1784-1868), a Venezuelan President and hero of the Venezuelan War of Independence
• Thaddeus S. C. Lowe (1831-1913), American Civil War scientist and inventor
• Thad Jones (1923-1986), an American jazz trumpeter and bandleader
• Thad Cochran (1937-), United States Senator for Mississippi
• Thad McCotter (1965-), member of the United States House of Representatives from Michigan
• Tadeo Gomez, an American musician
• Thaddeus Young, American basketball player for the Philadelphia 76ers.
• Edgar Tadeo, a Filipino comic book artist
• Thaddeus Cahill, inventor of the telharmonium
• Joe Taddeo, an American Distinguished Flying Cross recipient.
• Thaddeus Frager, founder and lead singer of the death metal band, Necrotizing Faschism.

[edit] Fictional characters

• Thaddeus, also called the other Judas when relating to the 12 disciples or apostles
• Tadzio, a young man in Thomas Mann's novel Death in Venice.
• Doctor Thaddeus Venture, a lead character in television show The Venture Bros.
• Thaddeus Bird, a character in Bernard Cornwell's Starbuck Chronicles.
• Thaddeus "Curly" Gammelthorpe, a character in television show Hey Arnold!.
• Thaddeus Roth, principal antagonist of Catherine Jinks' novels Evil Genius and Genius Squad.
• Thadeus, the captain of the hovercraft Osiris in the short animation, Final Flight of the Osiris.
• Thaddeus, Chief of the secret government agency, CONTROL, in the TV sitcom, "Get Smart"
• Thaddeus Beaumont, main character in "The Dark Half" by Stephen King
• General Thaddeus E. "Thunderbolt" Ross is an antagonist of the Hulk. He appears in the 2003 film Hulk and in the 2008 reboot The Incredible Hulk as well as various animated television series.
• Thad McCloud, the first "First Man" in Kisses for my President played by Fred MacMurray. When the women of America join together on election day and elect a Leslie McCloud as the US President, things get a little awkward. Especially for her husband Thad McCloud. He, as First Husband, must take over the job as The First Lady, in the women's groups and garden parties.
• Thaddeus (Family Guy), fictional character in Family Guy and brother of Peter Griffin.

[edit] Places

• Colombia
  • Jorge Tadeo Lozano University

[edit] See also

• Tadeusz - the common Polish-language version of the name

As for myself, I have always abreviated my name to Tad, and don't like Thad as a shortening.