Dissecting the Most Unique Duggar Baby Names and Their Meanings: Evangeline, Spurgeon, and More

Most members of the Duggar family are known for choosing surprisingly unique baby names for their children. Jessa Seewald (née Duggar), Jill Dillard (née Duggar), Joy-Anna Forsyth (née Duggar), and more Counting On alums chose very unusual names for their babies. Further, each name they chose carries symbolic, religious, or special meanings. We wanted to take a closer look at these appellations to uncover the hidden reasoning behind why these Duggars chose them.

Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar famously chose names that start with J for all of their many children. So, it’s fitting that their children would go on to make bold choices themselves. Let’s take a deep dive into the Duggar family’s baby names to learn all there is to know about them.

Evangeline

Jinger Vuolo (née Duggar) and her husband, Jeremy Vuolo, welcomed their second child, daughter Evangeline, in November 2020. Evangeline is a name of Greek origin that means “bringer of good news.” Jeremy is an ordained minister, and Jinger’s new book, Becoming Free Indeed, is about her faith journey. So, it should be no surprise that these parents chose a name with religious overtones.

Felicity

Jinger’s second child’s name echoes their first’s, who has the virtue name, Felicity. The name is of Latin origin and means “good fortune.” It’s clear that this couple wanted to bestow a life filled with goodness for their children.

More on Felicity

“It’s actually a pretty cool story — Felicity and Perpetua were two of the very early Christian martyrs in Rome … It’s a really dramatic and incredible glimpse into early Christian martyrdom,” Jeremy commented about the reasoning for choosing the name on Audrey and Jeremy Roloff’s “Behind the Scenes” podcast

Ivy Jane

As for Jessa and Ben Seewald, the parents acknowledged that they simply “liked” their third child, Ivy Jane’s name, while noting that the moniker is linked to a historical figure.

More About the Middle Name Jane

“We liked the way those names flowed together, and with her middle name, Jane, she’s actually named after Lady Jane Grey, who was a young lady who was the queen of England for a short time during the 1500s,” Ben said in a TLC video featured on the Duggar Family Blog in 2019. “She’s a very inspirational character to us.”

Spurgeon Elliot

Their firstborn son, Spurgeon Elliot, was named after Charles Spurgeon, a British preacher who lived in the 1800s whose teachings significantly impacted their lives. Spurgeon is a name of Norse origin that means “little branch.”

Notes on the Middle Name, Elliot

Elliot was chosen in honor of Christian missionaries Jim and Elisabeth Elliot. Elliot is an Anglizices form of the Hebrew name, Elijah, meaning “Jehovah is God.”

Henry Wilberforce

Jessa’s second son Henry Wilberforce’s first name was chosen because she thought it was cute. His unusual middle name was inspired by William Wilberforce, a British politician and philanthropist who led the movement to abolish the slave trade in the 1800s.

Henry is a name of German origin that means “estate ruler.” Wilberforce is a name of Old English and German origin that means “brilliant ditch.”

Fern Elliana

Jessa and Ben’s youngest daughter is named Fern Elliana. Fern is an attractive yet vintage name that hasn’t been popular since the 1960s in the US. Elliana is a name of Hebrew origin, meaning “my God has answered.”

Israel

Jill and Derick Dillard have three sons together: Israel, Frederick (who goes by “Freddy,” and Samuel. Each of these names is fairly popular, but Derick explained the significance behind his son, Isreal’s name.

Israel means “may God prevail” in Hebrew, but the country also holds a special meaning to Jill and Derick, as it’s where he bought her engagement ring. “Jill really likes Israel, and I’d always wanted to go to the holy land,” the lawyer told ABC News after proposing in 2014. “[When I was there] I had it in my head that I wanted to get an engagement ring pretty soon, but I had no idea it would work out [this] perfectly!” Israel, who was born in 2015, is Jill and Derick’s firstborn child.

Gideon

Joy-Anna and husband Austin Forsyth’s first child’s name has Hebrew origins and means “hewer.” Gideon is a mildly popular baby name today, but that was not the case at all just 30 years ago.

Their second child, daughter Evelyn, has a name that’s been popular in the US for generations. It is an English name from French and German and means “desired” or “island.”

Brynley Noelle

Jeremiah Duggar and his wife Hannah Duggar (née Wissmann) welcomed their first child, daughter Brynley, on Christmas Day 2022. Brynley is a rare choice in the US, and you will more often find the Brinley spelling, though it’s also rare. The name is of English origin and means “burnt meadow.”

More on Noelle

Jeremiah and Hannah chose a clever middle name for their daughter that celebrates her date of birth. Noelle is a name of French origin, meaning “Christmas.”

Maryella

Disgraced and imprisoned, Josh Duggar and his wife Anna have seven children together. Mackynzie, Michael, Marcus, Meredith, Mason, Maryella, and Madyson. As you can see, this branch of the Duggar family tree followed Jim Bob and Michelle’s tradition of choosing names starting with the same letter.

The most colorful of these names is Maryella. It’s a compound name featuring Mary, meaning “bitter,” and Ella, meaning “completely.”

RELATED: Jinger Duggar Vuolo Details Growing Up in an IBLP Household: “I Was Terrified of the Outside World”

Grace and Charlie

Josh David and Abbie Duggar have two children, Grace and Charlie. Grace is a virtue name that’s been popular in the US for hundreds of years. Charlie was a unique choice for a baby boy as it is more popular for baby girls today. Charlie is a name of French origin, meaning “free man.”

Praise

Joseph and Kendra Duggar welcomed a son, Garrett David, in June 2018 and a daughter, Addison Renee, in November 2019. In August 2020, they announced they were expecting baby number three and welcomed daughter Brooklyn Praise on February 19, 2021. These given names are popular today, but their youngest’s middle name is a unique option. Praise is a new virtue name that has yet to take off. We expect that to change very soon.

Bella and Daisy

Josiah and Lauren Duggar have two children, girls named Bella and Daisy. Both appellations are very commonplace today. Bella is a name of Italian origin, meaning “beauty.” Daisy is a name of English origin, meaning “day’s eye.”

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: Jessa Duggar Furious and Setting the Record Straight After Rumors Emerge That She Did Not Attend Sister Jill’s Baby Shower

Truett

Jedidiah and Katey Duggar have one child together, born in 2022, named Truett Oliver. While Oliver is one of the most popular names worldwide today, Truett is a unique option. The name is deeply associated with the Baptist church in the Southern USA due to former leader George Truett. The name first entered the US top 1000 most popular baby names in 2020, but it is still rather rare. Truett is an English surname that means “dry wood.”

There you go! Now you know the most interesting Duggar family baby names and the meanings and reasonings behind each. For more about the Duggar family, keep reading. We’ve got the strangest rules Jim Bob makes the family follow.

Hair Length for the Duggar Daughters

One of the rules that the daughters in the family have to follow is to keep long, undyed hair. Many of the daughters have changed their hairstyles up though, which means this rule can be broken and they won’t be ostracized.

Joy-Anna and Jessa have been known to wear bangs, and Joy-Anna also dyed her hair a darker color. Jinger has also been seen with shortish blonde hair, while Jill got a full hair makeover.

No Birth Control

It’s amazing how many of these rules only fall on the daughter of the family. In addition to hair length, the family has a strict no contraception and no birth control policy. The Duggars are members of a conservative Independent Baptist Church and have been linked to the extremely controversial Institute in Basic Life Principles (IBLP). Though Jim Bob and Michelle did use birth control early in their marriage, they forbid it for their children.

Jill and Derick Dillard, who have distanced themselves from the rest of the Duggar family, admitted to using non-hormonal birth control. Not coincidentally, the Dillards have only had two children in seven years of marriage. But, there’s another one on the way.

No Pants for Those Daughters

Yet another style rule for the Duggar daughters; they are not supposed to wear pants. However, once Jinger Duggar broke this rule, the other older Duggar daughters have been seen wearing pants. Michelle has still kept the youngest daughters in skirts and dresses. We imagine this goes the same way for their sons not wearing skirts.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Jinger Vuolo (@jingervuolo)

According to Jinger, “the lord’s led” her to wearing pants and they make her feel comfortable. Originally, Michelle felt that wearing pants are something that “pertains to a man” and that she just didn’t understand.

“I just felt like I should wear dresses and skirts. My girls, I just dressed them in dresses and skirts as well,” Michelle said. “Being that that was my personal conviction. I’m raising my girls to be modest and honor the Lord in how they represent themselves.”

“It’s OK that my kids may have different convictions than me,” Michelle would go on to admit. “I know that he’s leading them, and that’s the most important thing.”

They All Got Homeschooled

The Duggars have all been homeschooled, but it is not clear if their children plan to continue this tradition for their own kids. Josh and Anna have homeschooled their children, but Jill announced her son Israel attended kindergarten at a public school. Jessa will have to make the decision next, as her son Spurgeon turns 6 years old soon.

No Drinking and No Smoking

The family has a no drinking alcohol and no smoking policy. This is currently a rule that many Baptists, not just the Duggar family adhere to. So far, most of the family has publicly shown to stick to this rule but there is one pioneering Duggar who also broke this rule.

Jill broke this rule as well. She was seen having drinks with her husband Derick during a date night in September 2020. Jill later showed a sense of humor about the “scandal” having a drink caused when she shared a photo of herself with a cup of coffee. “Oh, and since it seems y’all are interested in my choice of drinks recently (lol recent post)…yes, this was a REGULAR coffee (I.e. full caf) white chocolate mocha with coconut milk,” she wrote. Cheers!

Chaperoned Dates

The Duggar kids are supposed to have chaperoned dates when they come of age. They have very strict rules when it comes to dating. Of course, there’s no sex before marriage but there are also rules against just hugging and kissing.

There’s a 3-second rule when it comes to hugging someone you’re dating.  Josiah Duggar appeared to break this rule in 2018 when he went to Missouri with his now-wife Lauren, unchaperoned.

Joy-Anna also admitted to breaking a “three-second hug” rule while dating now-husband Austin Forsyth. We suppose by these two accounts that it’s sort of okay to fudge the rules if you’re eventually going to marry the person. We’re glad these couples got to have a little fun before they tied the knot!

Jana, who is unmarried, also seems free to travel without a chaperone or repercussions from her family. We’ll talk more about her and how she’s been able to skirt other rules for the next Duggar family rule as well.

Shared Social Media Accounts Among Spouses

For a time, after marriage, members of the Duggar family were allowed to start their own social media accounts as long as they were jointly shared between spouses. Over time though, this rule appears to have been broken by many of the Duggar children.

Almost all of the married sisters now have their own Instagram accounts, while their husbands have separate ones. Jana, who is the eldest unmarried sister, is allowed to have her own Instagram account. What a rebel!

Divorce Is a Big No-No

Divorce is very frowned upon in the Duggar family. In fact, following multiple scandals that Josh had molested girls and his sisters and later was found guilty of possession of child pornography, his wife Anna still remains married to her husband. This goes right along with the Duggars’ stand by your man ethos.

Thankfully, for many other of the Duggar kids, divorce has not been an issue that’s been talked about publicly. However, that has not stopped Amy King from voicing her opinion about Josh and Anna’s marriage.

“My mom was a fierce protector, and so am I,” Amy wrote in an open letter to Anna following Josh’s guilty conviction. “She showed me how to stand up and speak up. If no one else in your life is saying it, I need you to understand that there is no shame in divorcing Josh.”

Secular Media Only

All forms of media, from music to television to books, have to be approved by the Duggar patriarch and matriarch. There wasn’t even music at their weddings! Jill seems to have broken this rule. She once shared a photo of her son Samuel with a stack of secular books.

“Start protecting your family by removing books, magazines, television, or internet that have worldly or sensual content,” Jim Bob wrote in a letter to fathers warning them of the dangers of secular media. “Replace them with good things like wholesome music, biographies of great Christians, good old-fashioned family fun and games.”

We’re not sure what he means by “worldly” content but venture to guess that means any media that does not feature faces that look like those of his lily-white family members.

No Face or Body Piercings

We turn to Jill yet again as she is the only Duggar that has seemingly broken the no body piercings policy of the family. It caused a bit of a stir after she unveiled her nose ring but it seems like that’s water under the bridge for this member of the Duggar family who is not afraid to dance to the beat of her own drum.

The Duggars Do Not Celebrate Halloween

In October 2021, Jinger posted a photo via Instagram of her and her husband trick-or-treating with friends. That had been previously off-limits for her as a child growing up in the Duggar home. A decade prior, her mother had written about how the family views the Halloween festivities.

In a blog post, Michelle wrote that the family “do go to pumpkin patches and corn mazes [but] we don’t do the Halloween thing” — which might be why fans were surprised to see Jinger dressed as Tigger from Winnie the Pooh.

Final Thoughts

We’ve seen that the Duggar family has some pretty strict and conservative rules for its members. It’s clear as the older generation of their kids ages into adulthood and has begun marrying and having their own children, that they are more willing to skirt the rules or break them a bit to work for their current lifestyle.

That doesn’t mean that Jim Bob and Michelle are not as strict with the younger kids in their brood. It will be interesting to see how many will continue to live by Jim Bob’s rules and who will also stray from them as they age into adulthood.

The Duggar family might be off the TV but they have left a huge impression. Their unconventional lifestyle and the sheer size of their family make them an oddity but not completely that far from many Evangelical families in this country who look to them as role models. Each family gets to decide what values they want to instill and this one seems to have mostly kept the kids as almost equally conservative as their parents. Who knows what the future will bring?