Did Timothy Zahn name Grand Admiral Thrawn after himself?

It’s always struck me that Grand Admiral Thrawn’s name rhymes with that of his creator, Timothy Zahn. Thrawn also doesn’t seem to be based on anything in English or anything else I’m familiar with. Was Thrawn meant to sound a lot like Zahn, or is there some other reason he got that name and it’s just a coincidence that his name is so similar to the author?