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Etymology •
& Meaning •
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Meaning and etymology of the name Tekoa
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Tekoa 
Tekoa is the name of a city in south Judah (2 Samuel 14:2), named fairly late in the narrative, and probably most famous for being the home of the prophet Amos (Amos 1:1).
In 1 Chronicles 2:24 Tekoa is incorporated in the genealogy of Judah as 'fathered' by Asshur (who was the son of the already deceased Hezron, who was the son of Perez, who was the son of Judah with Tamar). But as Gilead (verse 21) is the name of a much mentioned region, we may conclude that Tekoa is really a town and Asshur, taking after his grandfather Machir, a ruler. In 1 Chronicles 4:5-7 we read about the sons of the two wives of Asshur; Tekoa is not mentioned.
The name Tekoa is identical to the word (taqoa), trumpet, but both Fuerst's Hebrew & Chaldee lexicon to the Old Testament and BDB Theological Dictionary deem a connection "dubious". The prophet Jeremiah, however, feels free to play with it: "...now blow a trumpet in Tekoa...!" (6:1).
The word is quite an interesting one. It is derived of the verb  (taqa), the meaning of which is divided into three by the various sources:
1) thrust (a weapon into someone - Judges 3:21), drive (locusts into the sea - Exodus 10:19);
2) blow (a horn or trumpet - Joshua 6:4);
3) clap (hands - Ps 47:1 in joy, or in a pledge - Job 17:3).
The common, underlying idea of this verb is obvious, but since no such a word exists in English we must describe a true meaning (and in translations sadly lose it):
The verb (taqa) conveys a sudden burst; a force briefly applied. This burst evokes a union of some kind: a sword stabbed into a person; locusts driven to the sea; people aroused by a trumpet blast; hands brought together. Hence the verb is also used in the sense of pitching a tent (hammering the pegs into the ground - Genesis 31:25) and making a pledge to become someone's endorser (which was done by striking hands together with someone - Job 17:3b literally reads "who is he that my hand will strike?").
In the latter usage the figurative is probably dominant: one who pledges another's safety is bound to him (compare Samson's hair 'hammered' to the ground; Samson tied up - Judges 16:14) and maybe even so much inconvenienced that the pledger feels 'stabbed' or thrust into (compare Proverbs 6:1, 11:15).
The name Tekoa means Trumpet, the instrument that unites people at a sudden impulse. Both NOBS Study Bible Name List and Jones' Dictionary of Old Testament Proper Names, however, are more charmed with the root-verb's meaning of pitching a tent, and read Firm, Settlement (NOBS) and Pitching (Jones).
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