So you wanna understand the name...

After all the struggles that we had for 39 weeks in naming our son, many people wonder how we came up with Asa James. We find it interesting because the reactions we are getting are pretty funny. It's obvious the folks that LOVE the name because their face lights up and they tell us, "I LOVE that name!" And it's also obvious the folks that are a little less than in love with the name. Their general reaction after we tell them the name is, "Oh, Asa, okay - pronounce that again for me." We're sure everyone goes through the same process when naming their own child - that overwhelming feeling of responsibility to make sure the name is one that will be strong and memorable (and not made fun of by kids at school!). So, it's time to help everyone understand the background of the name.

Of course, if you look it up, you'll find Asa is of Hebrew origin meaning "doctor" or "healer." It is our wishful thinking that leads us to believe Asa will one day be a doctor! :-) But, truly, Asa is a family name - in Andrew's family. Try to follow me...

Asa is Andrew's father's father's father's name - that would be Drew's paternal great grandfather's name on the Syrian side. Asa is actually one of three brothers that came to the United States and each brought three Syrian rugs with them - the rug Asa brought over happens to now be in our house! How cool is that?

James is a name that is found in both Andrew's and Melissa's family. If you look it up, you'll see that James also has a biblical background. But, our family background is the following...

James is Melissa's mother's mother's father's name - that would be Melissa's maternal great grandfather. Doubly adding to the interest we had in James is that it is also the name of Andrew's mother's father's middle name - that would be Andrew's maternal grandfather on the Greek side.

Did you follow all that? We love the name Asa James and how it holds such incredible family meaning. We know our son will appreciate that his namesakes (3 great grandfathers!) will always watch over him and make sure he lives up to his remarkable name.