99% Sure

by oh amanda on July 15, 2008

in baby,baby names,Bible,me

I think I’ve picked out the pirate’s first name.

Here’s the thing. I don’t want just a cool name. I want a name that has some meaning. I love names that have a story to them.

Amanda means “worthy of love”. Even though Amanda is a basic name, the meaning has always made it feel special and beautiful to me. It’s also been a directive for me. I want to treat people and conduct my life so that I am worthy of others’ love. My parents have always talked about the meaning of my name and I’m sure that’s why I think it’s special, too. Even since I’ve been an adult, my parents have introduced me to people and told them about the meaning of my name. They reiterate that I am indeed worthy of their love! It warms my heart every time.

I want my children to feel this same way about their name. I want them to love their name and be proud of it. I want their life to show the qualities of the name we’ve been speaking over them their whole lives.

So.

I’ve pored through the Baby Name Wizard book Jodi gave me. And I love it. (Seriously, if you’re contemplating names, it’s the coolest book. And here’s the blog.) The author has categorized the names into some great…uhm, categories. For every name she gives “brothers” and “sisters” that have the same feel as the original name. So, Lydia’s brothers are Simon, Harrison, Lincoln, Victor and Henry. That goes, right?

(Just to give you a good comparison and so you can see how perfectly the author has nailed the “feel” of names, here are the brothers for Amanda: Jeremy, Derek, Brandon, Joshua and Kyle. Only Jason would have made the list perfect!)

Anyway, after looking through the names and scouring every brother and sister and category and chart in the book, the one name we kinda got stuck on was Asa. Asa means “healer”. He was a good king in the Bible. And according to the Baby Name Wizard Voyager, it was the most popular in the 1880′s. And that’s about as far as we got.

We throw it around every once in awhile. But Lydia always jumps into the conversation and proclaims that the baby’s name should be Wall-e (pronounced, “waaaallllleeeeeee.”) So, yesterday I cracked open my Bible got onto biblegateway.com and looked up the name Asa. And now I think I really like it!

Not only was he a good king who followed the Lord, he was a warrior! 2 Chronicles records one battle with the Cushites. Just before they march out, Asa talks to the Lord…

“Then Asa called to the LORD his God and said, “LORD, there is no one like you to help the powerless against the mighty. Help us, O LORD our God, for we rely on you, and in your name we have come against this vast army. O LORD, you are our God; do not let man prevail against you.”

Isn’t that great? What an awesome life verse! There’s nothing I’d rather do than have my son always look to God when he feels helpless. And to always rely on God’s power rather than his own.

Of course, the best part is the conclusion to Asa’s prayer—God wipes out the Cushites. Or as the Bible puts it, the Lord “struck down the Cushites before Asa” and they were “crushed before the Lord”! Exciting, right?

Now, here’s the funny part. After God crushes the Cushites, Asa and his men “carried off a large amount of plunder” because there was “much booty there”. Sounds like a good pirate to me!

So, what do you think?

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{ 27 comments… read them below or add one }

annie July 15, 2008 at 2:46 pm

I like it.

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misty July 15, 2008 at 3:07 pm

You’ve definatly done your research and that is certainly a name with a lot of beautiful history!

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Leigh July 15, 2008 at 3:31 pm

I love it! Very piraty-man-of-God.

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Dolly July 15, 2008 at 3:40 pm

Hi there! Chiming in for the first time.

LOVE that name. I’ve only known one other Asa and he is about 5.

And what an awesome verse!

I hope he grows up to be a strong warrior for Christ.

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Adventures In Babywearing
Twitter:
July 15, 2008 at 4:36 pm

I love that name! I know an Asa and he is a VERY cool kid.

Steph

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Alexis July 15, 2008 at 4:41 pm

Love it!

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Jodi July 15, 2008 at 5:42 pm

Any name that satrts with “Ace” is a winner in my book :) I feel so honored to have had even the tiniest hand in your choosing such a fabulous name. I think it’s *perfect* for you guys! Did I tell you it’s my grandfather’s middle name? Yeah. I can’t recommend the full combo though: Harvey Asa Gilbert (HAG!) Make sure you check those initials, folks!

Now, his middle name… something Narnian, right? RIGHT?

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Heather
Twitter:
July 15, 2008 at 6:34 pm

Love it!!!!

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Erin July 15, 2008 at 6:41 pm

What a fantastic name! I love it!

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KT July 15, 2008 at 8:04 pm

Oh I just LOVE Asa for you! Perfect! And isn’t that the greatest book ever? :)

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AmyG July 15, 2008 at 8:22 pm

I think it’s beautiful. Very strong & warrior like.

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Erin July 15, 2008 at 8:32 pm

very cool, and unique! You always have the best explanations too!

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Moriah @ Please Pass the Salt July 15, 2008 at 10:30 pm

I love a good Biblical name.

(*wink*)

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Coralie July 15, 2008 at 10:33 pm

I love it. It was on our short list of possible boy names – before we found out our miracle was a girl.

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bee
Twitter:
July 15, 2008 at 10:38 pm

I think it’s way neat!

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Erin July 16, 2008 at 12:33 am

I like it. Very original and manly sounding. Perfect for a pirate!

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Stephanie July 16, 2008 at 12:42 am

We thought about using Asa last time I was pregnant because my husband’s name (Jason) also means “healer.” Then we had a girl, so no Asa for us :)

We love the name though!

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Rebecca July 16, 2008 at 8:41 am

I really like it. Unusual, but not TOO unusual, if that makes sense.

And simple.

Yay! :)

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KAT July 16, 2008 at 4:03 pm

Love it! The whole “booty” part settled it for me! I can’t believe that word is in the NIV! It makes me laugh!. As for the name…it’s a keeper!

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Elaine July 16, 2008 at 4:16 pm

I’ve never heard that one before but it has a beautiful history and meaning. I would be inclined to think you’ve found your name! : )

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Staci
Twitter:
July 16, 2008 at 8:07 pm

…and how cool is it to have a palindrome for a name?! Just make sure to keep an eye on his feet b/c King Asa died of a foot disease! Yikes!

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Damselfly July 16, 2008 at 9:55 pm

I love that baby name book and bought it when we were looking for a name for Fly!

I like Asa. Wasn’t there a character on one of the soap operas named Asa? That’s the only Asa I’ve heard of.

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Damselfly July 16, 2008 at 9:56 pm

But, PLEASE, don’t get the impression I watch soap operas! I just remember hearing that name on TV back when I was a teenager.

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Jennifer July 17, 2008 at 9:36 am

I know a doctor named Asa Andrew, and all this care in biblical based….this name is catchy. I like it and you don’t hear it a lot and I like that too

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Candace July 18, 2008 at 8:39 am

I like it a lot, actually. And I’m not one for names that aren’t current or are too different. Tim is a huge believer in giving your children names that are meaningful (which is how I lost out to Jacob – it means deceiver in Hebrew) and I think it’s really important, too. Altho I think I like Lydia’s suggestion of Wall-E better.

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jubilee
Twitter:
July 18, 2008 at 11:33 pm

It’s unusual enough to be memorable, but it’s not weird-unusual, you know?

Our daughter’s name (and middle name)is unusual and we often find ourselves explaining it’s meaning:
“Beloved, the Lord has heard my prayer and answered me.”

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Sheryl July 19, 2008 at 12:25 am

Very nice name! We’re having a difficult time coming up with a boy’s name. I’m fond of Layne but our last name starts with “L” and I have issues with being matchy matchy. Have you found any good websites that give the biblical meaning of a name or scripture even if it’s not a name from the Bible? I keep coming up with dud sites that aren’t what I’m looking for. Love the book you mentioned, my neighbor is borrowing it to me. :)

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