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Jessa Duggar Broke Tradition With Her Kids' Names

Jessa Duggar comes from an famously big family with a set of very particular traditions. Which is why it's worth noting that Jessa Duggar decided not to use the same first letter for her own children when she named them, even though her parents used a formula to name all of their children. Duggar (now known by her married name, Seewald) comes from a family whose names all begin with the letter "J." In case you need a refresher, those names are: Joshua, Jana, John-David, Jill, Jinger, Joseph, Josiah, Joy-Anna, Jedidiah, Jeremiah, Jason, James, Justin, Jackson, Johannah, Jennifer, Jordyn-Grace, Josie, and of course, Jessa.

The reality television star hasn't opened up about why she chose to break from tradition and not give her children names that all begin with the same letter, but that doesn't mean she didn't give her children's names a lot of thought. Instead, she seems to have a new theme: naming her children for people who are important to her and her faith.

Her first son was born in 2015 and she named him Spurgeon Elliot. Although Spurgeon might not ring a bell for most people, it was the last name of a British preacher, Charles Spurgeon, who lived from 1834-1892. He was reportedly a great preacher — so much so that he went down in some history books as the only author one needed to read if you wanted to know about Christianity. So maybe Jessa is going more for legacy and less for alliteration when it comes to naming her babies.

Spugeon's second name, Elliot, is derived from that of a couple of Baptist missionaries who worked in South America that the couple admired as well. Likewise, when it came to naming their second child, born earlier this month, Jessa and her husband, Ben Seewald, went the same way.

The couple announced their infant's name last week and it falls in line with the same theme. It wasn't about making sure they could monogram the towels with the same letters, but all about people they found inspiring. Baby number two was named Henry Wilberforce. It's another mouthful for sure, but it plays into the couple's theme of finding inspiration in a name.

Henry is common enough — the couple chose it just because Jessa liked it, which is always the best reason to pick a name and roll with it. But they obviously didn't want to leave the younger son without a namesake, as they did with their first born, which is why his second name has some meaning for the couple. It's Wilberforce, taken from William Wilberforce, a British philosopher who is known in some religious circles for advocating for the end of the slave trade in Britain.

Duggar's obviously taken as much care as any parent does when naming their children. Although she plans on possibly having more children, she doesn't seem to be preoccupied with making sure the names all match up, to the first letter, as she and her siblings do. But that doesn't mean that there isn't a method to her naming style — and though there never has to be a reason when it comes to choosing a name for a new baby, Jessa and Ben's is pretty perfect anyway.