what's in a name

Since he was born I've had several people ask me about the inspiration behind Asher's name.

What better time to discuss it than on a random Friday!

When I first found out we were pregnant I immediately sent Drew out for a baby name book.  He returned with the Baby Name Bible - 50,000+ names for my casual perusal.  Picking a name ended up being a much, much harder task than I'd originally assumed.    

I don't know about you, but before I was pregnant Drew and I would throw around names that we liked just to test the waters {so to speak} and see how similar our preferences were.  That was a lot of fun!  However, once it became a reality and we had to pick a name for a REAL person it turned into a whole different ball game.

This name would follow him his entire life.  It's what they would call out at graduation, at his wedding, at restaurants when his table was ready.

We needed something really great!

A name that was approachable, but garnered respect. 

A name that was easy to pronounce, but distinctive.

A name that fit an infant as well as a grandfather.

The pressure was really starting to mount.

While the name we ultimately chose had to meet all of these qualifications, for a major bonus point it also had to have a great meaning {although I wasn't about to nix a terrific name just because it meant 'nasty boil' or something}.

While flipping through the Baby Name Bible one day I came across a name that jumped out at me.  It caught my eye and I just started smiling.  I looked at it and didn't want to look away.

That was my son.  I knew in an instant. {lucky for me, Drew agreed}

Asher - origin: Hebrew, meaning: happy and blessed

Wow!  Who wouldn't want that for their child!  To be happy and blessed is all I could ever wish for my Asher.

This name is pretty non-traditional {which I love!} but it's also extremely traditional in one sense since it's from the Old Testament.  The first 'Asher' was a son of Jacob and led one of the 12 tribes of Israel.

When we told Drew's grandparents that we chose a name from the Bible and that he was Asher they didn't believe us and had to look it up {Genesis 30:13, if you're skeptical too}.   Hahaha...

Mr. A's middle name is a family tradition.  Thomas was the name of Drew's grandfather and is also his father's and oldest brother's middle names.  We wanted to honor our family in some way with Asher's name and this just rolled off our tongues.

Asher Thomas

May you always be happy, blessed, and keep your family close to your heart.

We love you.