PHOTOSAnna Duggar Reveals She Named Her 6th Child After Josh’s Late Grandma Who Tragically Drowned
Dec. 2 2019, Updated 5:52 p.m. ET
Anna Duggar revealed she named her newborn daughter, Maryella Hope, after her husband Josh’s late grandma Mary. The Counting On star’s 6th child was born on November 27. Mary died in June after an accidental drowning in her pool.
“So many of you have asked...so here’s the story behind the name Maryella Hope!” Anna, 31, told fans on November 30. “Soon after we found out baby #6 was a girl we began name discussing name ideas and we thought we had it narrowed down.”
“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,” she revealed.
The mom-of-six continued, “Soon, our baby name list that we had narrowed down to three 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!”
“We chose Hope for her middle name because of the Hope we have because of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection,” Anna said. “Jesus is the ultimate demonstration of love and hope. Jesus laid 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!”
The Counting On star added, “During Maryella’s pregnancy there were so many unexpected joys, which included several more pregnancy announcements from family members!” Jessa, Amy, Kendra, and Lauren all welcomed children this year. Joy-Anna, however, suffered a miscarriage in June.
“We also grieved alongside those we love the most, remembering life is fragile and sometimes very short,” Anna said. “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! Maryella Hope Duggar is such a blessing and we are so grateful for her!”
Anna’s daughter was also born amid a scandal involving her husband Josh’s car business. Homeland Security raided the car lot a week before Anna went into labor for an ongoing investigation, although details have not been disclosed.
What do you think about Anna and Josh naming their daughter after grandma Mary? Sound off in the comments below!
