I don't think the name of that professor and the one of the racoon have the same origin though ^^;
But still, since she is called "Meeko
Mitsuko Karen Oishi", one can assume her name(s) to be japanese, eventhough she's from Mexico and doesn't mention any japanese heritage.
I guess Meeko is an alternative english-based spelling of "Miko", or at least that's how I'd pronounce it. Miko is the name of the japanese shrine maidens, but can also be a female first name with many different meanings, f.ex. "beautiful child"