Jill Duggar and Derick Dillard Welcome Baby Boy, Share Story Behind His Name

TL;DR: 

• Jill Duggar has given birth to her third child with Derick Dillard. 
• Frederick Michael Dillard was born July 7, 2022. 
• His name honors both his father and grandfather. 

Congratulations are in order for Jill Duggar and Derick Dillard. Frederick Michael Dillard was born July 7. He is the third child for the couple, who previously appeared on TLC’s now-canceled Counting On. 

Jill Duggar gives birth to baby No. 3

Jill and Derick announced their happy news in a post on their family blog. Frederick – or Freddy – arrived on July 7 at 5:16 p.m. He weighed 7 lbs, 6 oz., and was 20 inches long. 

Freddy arrived slightly ahead of schedule, the couple shared. While Jill’s due date was later in July, Freddy “decided he wanted to come a little early.” Jill had her planned C-section “a bit before originally planned,” they added.

Mom and baby are currently enjoying some bonding time while Jill and Derick wait to bring their new baby home from the hospital, the couple shared. They announced Jill’s pregnancy in February 2022, several months after sharing that she had experienced a miscarriage. 

The newest addition to the Dillard family was born just one day before his elder brother Samuel’s birthday. Sam, the couple’s second child, was born July 8, 2017. Their eldest son, Israel, was born on April 6, 2015. 

Jill and Derick explain the meaning behind their new baby’s name

Jill and Derick chose to honor both Freddy’s father and his late grandfather with his name. His first name means “peaceful ruler,” the couple explained in their blog post, while his middle name means “gift from God.” 

Frederick also has an extra-special meaning for Jill and Derick.

“[I]t’s Derick’s name with ‘Fre’ added to the front, to make ‘Fre-derick,’” they explained. “Similarly, Derick’s name is a variation of his late dad’s name, Rick, that his parents created by adding ‘de’ to the front of Rick to spell, ‘de’-’rick,’ literally meaning son ‘of’ (de) Rick.”

“We were excited to settle on the name Frederick and incorporate both Derick’s and his dad’s name, by just adding ‘Fre’ to the beginning of Derick’s name,” they added.  

The ex-‘Counting On’ couple recently moved to a new home 

It’s been a time of change for Jill and Derick. In addition to expanding their family, the pair recently moved into a new home. Derick, who graduated from law school at the University of Arkansas in 2021, has taken a job as a prosecutor in the Sooner State. The Dillards have purchased a home in Siloam Springs, Arkansas, close to the border with Oklahoma. 

 It’s been a “crazy and exciting season of transition,” they wrote in a blog post announcing the news. The move means that Jill and Derick now live about 40 minutes away from her parents, Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar, who reside in Springdale, Arkansas. 

The couple has had a strained relationship with Jill’s mother and father for some time. In a video shared on YouTube in March 2021, Jill shared that it had been “a couple years” since she had visited her parents’ home. A dispute over earnings from the family’s TLC reality shows contributed to the bad blood. Jill and Derick have also been more vocal than some other members of the family in condemning her older brother Josh Duggar, who was convicted of possessing material depicting child sexual abuse in December 2021. 

For more on the entertainment world and exclusive interviews, subscribe to Showbiz Cheat Sheet’s YouTube channel.