Thaddeus

Thaddeus, a distinguished, long-neglected appellation, has several areas of appeal: a solid New Testament legacy, a nice antique feel, and the choice of several more modern nicknames and international variations--we particularly like the Italian Taddeo.

In the Bible, Thaddeus was one of the original Twelve Apostles, who is referred to variously as Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus, as Judas the son of James, and as Judas, not Iscariot-- many believing that Thaddeus was the surname used to distinguish him from the treacherous Judas Iscariot.

Thaddeus has made any number of screen appearances in vehicles ranging from "Spongebob Squarepants" to "Police Academy" to "Get Smart" (it was the given name of the Chief) to Harry Potter. As Tadzio--the Slavic version--he played a leading role in Thomas Mann's "Death in Venice."

In real life, Taddeo Gaddi was a renowned Renaissance painter and Thaddeus Stevens was a dominant political figure during the Civil War.