Thackery



Kathy Najimy, Bette Midler & Sarah Jessica Parker in Hocus Pocus

I recently watched the movie 'Hocus Pocus' again and was charmed by the name of one of the characters, Thackery. Thackery Binx (another cool name!) is the young boy who was turned into a cat by the three witches in this movie when he tries to rescue his sister from their wicked clutches (cackle cackle). He then helps a trio of young children to end the witches reign of terror forever when they are resurrected unintentionally 300 years later.

Thackery originated as a surname, and while there are many people with this surname it is rarely used as a given name. Apart from Thackery Binx, there is one other famous character with this name - Thackery Earwicket, the March Hare from 'Alice in Wonderland'. So it would seem that this is one surname crossover that has been reserved for mystical, talking animals in fantasy tales. Thackery is also the name of a town in the US state of Ohio, and the alternative spelling of Thackeray is the surname of the author of the classic novel 'Vanity Fair'.

It's a little difficult to pin down the meaning of Thackery, but assuming it's the same as the meaning for Thackeray it means 'place with thatching' or possibly 'dweller by the nook where the reeds for thatching grow'.

I like the sound of Thackery, it has a very upper crust British feel to it. People who remember the name from the movie think it is cute and unique. The main drawback seems to be that many people comment that it sounds like someone with a lisp trying to say Zachary. Maybe. And I guess the common nickname for Zachary is Zack, but I'm not so sure Thack would be considered a desirable nickname!

If you're a bit put off by the idea of people thinking your child's name is Zachary and you can't pronounce it correctly, Thatcher and Thayer are two alternatives with a similar look, feeling and meaning. I think I personally would lean towards Thayer as it is a little softer, but I don't think I'd need an alternative as I much prefer Thackery. Maybe as a middle name though :-)


Thackery Binx in cat form