Feeling a bit Nebbishy?

I believe I have solved a mystery that has been around for generations.  Do I win a prize?  No, it actually makes me a loser!

Nebekers have long known that the 3 original brothers Nebeker arrived in the Americas before 1755, long before there was a US to arrive in.  They came from Germany, and were of unknown origin before that.  Although the spelling of the name changed about the time they arrived in the states, no one knew how we managed to acquire a moniker that makes telemarketers stumble and sisters-in-law have second thoughts.  We also didn't know where the word came from in the first place.  It doesn't make sense in German, or match any known German words.  Mark and my dad have discussed this- auf Deutsch!- and gotten nowhere.  When I was a missionary in England, a professional researcher was intrigued by my nametag.  He undertook his own study, but also to no avail.

Who is my favorite character for suddenly revealing what is hidden behind a name?  That's right, Chuck Bartowski!  When one of his critics called him "a nebbish," I looked it up.  Go ahead, here's the link:
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/nebbish. 

n. a pitifully ineffectual, luckless, and timid person.  from the yiddish nebekh, "poor, unfortunate," lit. "un-endowed."

There it is, folks.  I don't fall in the category of "un-endowed," but apparently I was labeled "unfortunate" at birth.  Leslie, Kristen, Ruthie, and Ashley have become "poor" by choice.  We love them for it.  And, when you need the truth hidden in a name, Chuck is the go-to man.  I'm proud to be a Nebeker, regardless of the origins.  Now if we could just teach people to say it correctly!

Tip:  Say Neh'- beh- ker.  Really.  Not Nee-baker or Nebuchadnezzar or Nyborg.  No, it's not spelled with a  c.  Every other letter is an e.  Looks better on scantrons that way.