What's in a name - I was tagged

Thanks, Frank, for tagging me. You only tagged your friends, right? (smiling)

This meme comes with the following requirements:

Give the meaning of your kids' names, and write about what or how or why you gave the name to your kids. Tag five people to play along and leave a comment at their blog to let them know they have been tagged.

Alright. I'm not actually going to tell you my girls' names (Mr. Incredible would not be happy with me if I did), but I will give explanations for our choosing that name.


1. Pookie Bear - Mr. Incredible had her first name picked out when he was in high school. From Behind the Name comes this meaning:

From the hereditary title of the queens of Ethiopia, as mentioned in Acts in the New Testament. It is apparently derived from a Nubian word meaning "queen mother".

Her middle name is the English version of Revka and means "a snare. " As for her nickname, that is the one I have most often called her since birth. It reminds me of Garfield's teddy bear.


2. Miss Muffet - Her real name is Scotch/Irish, and we just liked it. It is one of those names that has migrated in usage over time: it started out as a surname, became a masculine name, and is now commonly used as a feminine name. Here's what Behind the Name had to say about it:

From the Gaelic surname Mac Coinnich, which means "son of Coinneach". Coinneach is an Irish name meaning "handsome".

Her middle name was harder to choose. I want our children's full names to have a particular flow and cadence. She ended up with a feminine form of a Greek name that means "helper or defender." Her nickname comes from the nursery rhyme and stuck to her because I think both the original Miss Muffet and my girl were rather mischievous. I know the rhyme doesn't actually say that, but that's the image I have in my mind.

3. Baby Bear - Her first name and Miss Muffet's middle name are quite similar. They are both feminine forms of Greek names with similar meanings. The masculine form of Baby Bear's name means "defending men." She also shares her name with a famous city. Her middle name is a Latinate form of an English name which refers to a woman found in the New testament, particularly the Gospels. Her name is used in both English and Polish, and we pronounce it the Polish way. It was the only middle name I liked with her first name. Her nickname came about simply because she is my baby.

We would like to have 2 or 3 more children and do have two more first names picked out. The boy name we have chosen is that of an Old Testament king of Judah whose name means "YAHWEH supports." The last girl name we have chosen is the Russian pet name for their version of the same Greek name from which Baby Bear's first name is derived so it is possible that three of our girls' names will be derivatives of the same name! (Was that sentence convoluted enough for you?) This name, too, means "defending men." Mr. Incredible and I joke that we have quite the international flavor in our household - each child's name represents at least one country.

Now to tag people. I choose Alan, Shoshannah, Mary Anne (I'm still working on your meme, Mary Anne), Karen (I know you might not be allowed to participate), and Michelle (see, I remember you *grin*). Don't worry; my feelings won't be hurt if you guys don't want to play along.