When people hear that my middle name is Tomaras, their first reaction — if they don't hear it as "Thomas" — is to ask what it means.
Tomaras is my mother's maiden name. It comes from the Greek τομαρασ, which is the name of a sheep-related profession. In particular, the τομαρασ would go around to many farmers and collect the sheep skins or the fleeces — my grandfather wasn't clear about which it was when he explained it to me — and then bring them to spinners or other people who would buy them in large quantities.
