Is the term “Followers of The Way” related to Taoism?

I read that some early Christians were called “Followers of The Way”. I also know that The Tao (of Taoism) is often translated as “The Way”. Is there any connection either etymologically or in the roots of the two systems? *I thought of this because I have heard theories that Jesus may have traveled eastward during his mostly unaccounted-for younger years (his twenties I think it would be roughly).*