I think once he had something gneiss to say about one of my puns.

He didn't say it once. He said "nonce". And it wasn't "gniess". It was "fice". :)

Till is a first name in the German language, related to the medieval name Theoderich (via Dietrich, for which Tillmann is as diminuitiv and/or regional form -- which then sometimes is shortened to Till), and in the Frisian language, as a short form of medieval names beginning with Uiet-.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Till_%28disambiguation%29

Tilling of one's family history is called heraldry. But few of us are eager to herald the news.