‘OutDaughtered’: The Meaning of the Busby Quints’ Names
Picking a name for your baby is a big deal. Plenty of parents agonize over choosing the perfect moniker for their little one. But imagine having to come up with not just one name, but five. That’s the dilemma that Adam and Danielle Busby faced when they welcomed their quintuplets in 2015. Fortunately, the OutDaughtered parents were able to come up with five names for their girls — Ava Lane, Olivia Marie, Riley Paige, Parker Kate, and Hazel Grace — each with its own special meaning.
The story behind the Busby twins’ names
Two of the now 5-year-old Busby quints are actually identical twins. That was something that Adam and Danielle kept in mind when naming them. On the couple’s list of possible names, Ava and Olivia were the only two that started with a vowel, Danielle explained in a TLC video.
“Ava and Olivia were the only two vowel letter-starting names, so we were like, ‘that’s gonna be the twins’ names,’” Danielle said.
Ava is a name of Latin origin, according to BabyNames.com, which says it means “like a bird.” BehindtheName.com notes that the name is a variant of Eve.
Olivia is an English name that means “ancestor’s descendant,” according to BabyNames.com.
Both Ava and Olivia are among the most popular names in the United States, according to the Social Security Administration. Olivia was the second-most-common name for girls in 2018, after Emma. Ava was the third most popular.
This is what the other three quints’ names mean
Adam and Danielle settled on Parker, Hazel, and Riley for the names of the other three quints.
The name Hazel comes from the name of the hazel tree, per BabyNames.com. Like Olivia and Ava, it is one of the top 10 most popular names for girls in the U.S. In their video, the Busbys noted that Hazel was a family name. (Riley’s middle name of Paige was also inspired by a family member’s name.)
The Busbys chose unisex names for their other two daughters, Riley and Parker. Parker is of English origin and means “park keeper.” Riley is an Irish name that means “descendant of Roghallach.” It might also be derived from the old English term for “rye clearing.”
What about Blayke’s name?
In addition to the quints, the Busbys have one older child, a daughter named Blayke. Blayke isn’t a very common name, but it seems like it’s a variation of Blake. That names comes from the old English words for “black” and “pale,” per BehindTheName.com.
Danielle says they liked the idea of a gender-neutral name for their first child.
“We came up with the name Blayke because we both kind of always liked that unisex-type name,” the mom of six explained.
OutDaughtered Season 5 premieres Tuesday, June 2 at 9/8c on TLC.
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