In the first chapter of Winnie the Pooh Milne writes the following about Pooh's name;
When I first heard his name, I said, just as you are going to say, "But
I thought he was a boy?"
"So did I," said Christopher Robin.
"Then you can't call him Winnie?"
"I don't"
"But you said..."
"He's Winnie-ther-Pooh. Don't you know what 'ther means?"
"Ah yes, now I do," I said quickly; and I hope you do too, because it is all
the explanation you are going to get.
Winnie the Pooh was actually named after two of Christopher Robins favourite animals, Winnie a small black bear and Pooh a Swan.
Winnie
In 1914, during World War I, troops from Winnipeg (Manitoba, Canada) were being transported to eastern Canada on their way overseas to Europe. When the train stopped at White River, Ontario, on the platform was a trapper with an orphaned bear cub.
Captain Harry Colebourn, a Canadian Army veteran, bought the cub for $20 and named her "Winnipeg", or "Winnie" for short. Winnie became the mascot of the Second Canadian Infantry Brigade and travelled with them to Britain. When the Brigade was later posted to France it was decided that it would be better for Winnie to stay in Britain and she was placed in London Zoo.
Winnie was a favourite with children visiting the zoo because she was so tame and had such a gentle nature. The bear had a favourite meal, known as "Winnie's cocktail," a mixture of condensed milk and syrup which was often brought to her by her visitors. Winnie remained at London Zoo until her death in 1934.
Pooh
Pooh was the name given to a friendly Swan that Christopher Robin had met when the family were on holiday in Sussex. Christopher Robin feed the Swan each morning. In the introduction to When We Are Very Young, A.A.Milne explains that Pooh was "a very fine name for a Swan, because if you call him and he doesn't come (which is a thing Swans are good at), then you can pretend that you were just saying 'Pooh' to show how little you wanted him".
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