Anneke.Net > A Bit About Me

[ Me at 2 1/2 years old | The origin of my name, and how to pronounce it | Ancestory: family background ]

Me at 2 1/2 years old

This is a picture of me from July, 1979, taken the day we brought my new baby sister home from the hospital: M. Lindsey E. M. Hackman (yes, three middle names). I was two and a half at the time. My mom made that blue smock dress for me-- she was cool like that-- so I had quite a few of them.

The origin of my name, and how to pronounce it

Anneke, although it looks like Ann-eek, (or Aneck, as many of my friends call me,) is actually a Dutch name, meaning "Charming," I believe, and pronounced AH-nick-uh (emphasis on the first syllable). Phonetically spelled (and pronounced) Onica, it rhymes with Monica, harmonica, and Hannukah. The Germans, when pronouncing my name, say it a bit closer to Ah-NECK-eh, if I remember correctly, which may be closer to the Dutch pronunciation. But where did the name come from, if I'm not Dutch?

Before my father met my mother, he went on a double date with a friend. His friend's date's name was Anneke, which he thought was quite pretty. My Mom, when he suggested it, liked the name as well; in fact, it was particularly appropriate, since her sister's name is Ann, and it means "Little Ann(e)."

Ancestory: family background

I'm 1/4 Irish, (from my mother's mother,) and 1/4 Ukrainian (from my mother's father). My father's side of the family is more obscure; his parents come from a mostly Pennsylvania Dutch background, which I believe has a fair amount of German and a bit of French ethnicity.