The Real Meaning Of Anna Duggar's New Baby's Name

Former 19 Kids and Counting stars Josh and Anna Duggar recently welcomed their sixth child into the world. The latest addition to the Duggar clan, Maryella Hope Duggar, was born on November 27, 2019. "We are so excited and thankful to God for His special blessing giving us this precious, happy & healthy baby girl!" wrote Anna on Twitter.

Maryella arrived just in time to celebrate Thanksgiving with her family. After the rush of the holiday was over, Anna took to Instagram to reveal the touching story behind her new daughter's name.

In June 2019, Josh Duggar's grandmother, Mary Duggar, tragically passed away after falling into her swimming pool and drowning. The loss came as a blow to all of the Duggars, and especially Josh and Anna who decided that they wanted to carry on her legacy in some way. "When Josh's grandma passed away we considered the name Mary, but we were hesitant because Grandma (Mary Duggar) was such a special lady and we wanted our daughter's name to be a reminder of how special Grandma was and carry on her legacy, but without feeling like we were trying to replace her," wrote Anna on November 30. "Soon, our baby name list that we had narrowed down to 3 names had grown to a list of about dozen Mary-hyphenated names. As we continued chatting about names, Josh and I both fell in love with the name Maryella!"

The name Hope reflects Anna and Josh Duggars' Christian faith. "We chose Hope for her middle name because of the Hope we have because of Jesus' life, death and resurrection," wrote Anna. "Jesus is the ultimate demonstration of love and hope. Jesus layed down His sinless life on the cross so we could be forgiven of our sins and one day live with Him in heaven forever when we die. We have Hope because of Christ!"

According to Behind the Name, the meaning of the name Mary is unknown. Theories include "sea of bitterness," "rebelliousness," and "wished-for child." The name Mary may also be rooted in Egyptian, possibly derived from the word "mry" meaning "beloved" or "mr" meaning "love."

The name Ella comes from the Germanic name Alia, a nickname used for names containing "alja," a Germanic element which means "other."

Hope, of course, comes from the word "hope." As a name, Hope dates back to the 17th century Puritans. "During Maryella's pregnancy there were so many unexpected joys, which included several more pregnancy announcements from family members!" wrote Anna. "We also grieved alongside those we love the most, remembering life is fragile and sometimes very short. Even through the grief of the loss of loved ones we know that we have comfort, hope and strength as we look forward to one day being reunited in heaven with Jesus and our loved ones who are waiting for us there!"

She added, "Maryella Hope Duggar is such a blessing and we are so grateful for her!"

Maryella isn't the first of Josh and Anna's kids to be named after a member of the family. According to People, their oldest child, Mackynzie Renée, is also named after family members. Mackynzie is the name of Josh's cousin, while Renée is Anna's middle name.

Josh also followed in his parents' example by giving all of his children names starting with the same letter. Josh and all of his siblings have names starting with the letter "J," while Josh and Anna decided to give all of their kids names starting with the letter "M." 

The Duggars' other children are Michael James, Meredith Grace (named after Today's Meredith Vieira), Marcus Anthony, and Mason Garrett.

According to Behind the Name, Josh and Anna Duggar gave all of their kids powerful names. 

Mackynzie is an alternative spelling of Mackenzie, which ultimately comes from the Gaelic word "caoin," meaning "handsome."  Mackynzie's middle name, Renée, comes from the Latin name Renatus, which means "born again."

Michael comes from a Hebrew name which means "who is like God?" Michael's middle name, James, is derived from the name Jacob, which means "supplanter."

Meredith comes from the Welsh name Maredudd or Meredydd, and is thought to mean either "great lord" or "sea lord." Meredith's middle name, Grace, dates back to the 17th century Puritans just like Maryella's middle name, Hope.

Marcus is likely derived from the Roman god Mars, the god of war. Marcus' middle name, Anthony, comes from the Roman family name Antonius. The name Marcus Anthony may be in honor of Marcus Antonius (known as Mark Antony in English) who co-ruled the Roman Empire in the 1st century B.C.

Mason can be traced back to the Old English term "macian," which means "to make." Garrett is derived either from the name Gerald, meaning "ruler of the spear," or Gerard, which comes from the Germanic terms "ger," meaning "spear," and "hard," meaning "brave." 

With so many strong names in the family, it's clear that Maryella Hope Duggar is in good company!