Naming My Babies.

I got the idea from Amy at Raising Arrows when she did a post about her children’s names following the birth of their new son. I have never blogged about the meaning behind my children’s names and yet, they all have very important meaning to me. Their first names were choosen as names that my husband and I just liked. But their middle names all hold a story about our children’s past. Their middle names are part of their heritage and something that I want them to know about. I want their names to give them a connection to their past. And it is something we talk about with our children often, the meaning behind their names.

Maggie Claire – Maggie means “pearl”. It was a name I loved and my husband was okay with. Girls names have always been hard for us! Maggie has become a “pearl” to me. Worth her weight in gold, she is truly my right hand. She is so much help and seems beyond her years in many ways. Cooking, laundry, dishes, child care, all of these are areas she helps me in and yet she is still so young! I know God has amazing things planned for her. But Claire is not only my middle name, but also the name of my great-grandma and Joe’s grandma. So there is a lot of family heritage behind that name.

Samantha Jo – Samantha means “listener” and my has this name held true for her. She is our most compliant and obedient child thus far and is also a great listener to information. She hears something once and she knows it for life. It really is amazing! Her middle name is after her dad, Joe. I wanted at least one of our children to be named after him and I wasn’t sure we would ever have a boy! Remember, I grew up in a family of three girls, until my brother was adopted.

Josiah Thomas – Josiah means “God Supports” You can read about how, even though we picked his name before he was born, his name held amazing promise and peace during his first days of life. You will find the story here and here. His middle name is my dad’s name. My dad has been a rock for me throughout my life and the faith and strength that he had instilled within me growing up was what helped me to cling to my husband and walk by faith during those rough first days.

Katherine Elizabeth – Katherine means “pure”. I love the older style names and when we found out we were having a girl a settled on this name quickly. Her daddy finally agreed and we welcomed “Baby Kate” into the family. Her middle name is the name of my great grandma and also my sister’s middle name. At the time of Katherine’s birth my sister was deployed in Iraq with our nation’s army. My sister is a person of character, leadership, and quiet and gentle strength. She is an amzing woman and someone I want Katherine to grow up to admire.

Jeremiah Micheal – Jeremiah mean “God will raise up”. While I wanted a name that was complementary to Josiah, I also wanted a strong Bible name for our second son. In our country today, I feel it is vital that God’s people raise men of faith and character to lead families, churches, and our government in the coming years. So, the name Jeremiah fit well with Josiah and also held a special meaning to me in that I pray God will “raise up” my boys to be strong Christian men for God. His middle name is my dad’s middle name. And his initials, which helped to solidify his name for me, are the intials of my Grandpa, J.M. Akridge. My grandpa endured huge loss and hardship during his life and as I wated him weather those storms, I saw his faith grow and him cling to his Savior. That is the kind of man I want Jeremiah to be. One who knows his God can and will walk with him through any valley or mountain top, no matter how deep, how long, or how high.

So, there you have it. A little story behind each of my children’s names. They are all special as are the children that they were picked for. Do your children’s names have a story behind them? If so, I would love to hear it. Write a post, leave it in the comments, please share the story of your children’s names.