Jenna Bush Hager Explains Meaning Behind Baby Boyโ€™s Family Name

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Jenna Bush Hager / Instagram

Today Show host and former first daughter Jenna Bush Hager and her husband, Henry Hager, welcomed their third child and first son on Friday (August 2). The pair announced the happy news on social media, and also shared what they chose to name their baby boy.

In a post she made to Instagram, Jenna revealed they named their son Henry Harold Hager, or โ€œHalโ€ for short.

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So what is the meaning behind baby Halโ€™s first and middle names? Well, as you can tell, his first name is in honor of his father. But it turns out the name โ€œHenryโ€ is one carried by many members of the elder Henryโ€™s family.

โ€œHe is named Henry after many on his fatherโ€™s side including his dear dad and his paternal grandfather,โ€ Jenna explained while speaking to People about her sonโ€™s birth.

As for his middle name, โ€œHaroldโ€ also has family ties, but to Jennaโ€™s family instead of Henryโ€™s. Jenna told People the name is in honor of her maternal grandfather Harold Welch, who never got the chance to pass the name along himself.

โ€œHarold comes from my maternal grandfather, Pa, who I loved dearly and was unable to keep a son long enough to name,โ€ Jenna told the publication.

Since they will be calling their son โ€œHalโ€ for short, Jenna and Henryโ€™s daughters, Mila and Poppy, have already come up with a nickname for him. โ€œHis sisters are thrilled to have a little brother and already nicknamed his nickname, exclaiming โ€˜welcome to the world Hal Pal!โ€˜โ€ Jenna said.

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Weโ€™re sure some of you were probably expecting Jenna to name her firstborn son after her father and grandfather, President George W. Bush and President George H.W. Bush. It turns out that Jennaโ€™s father thought the same way. 

Joking with USA Today, Jenna said, โ€œMy dad was a little mad that the name wasnโ€™t George.โ€ She then went on to add that he still approved of Halโ€™s name, saying, โ€œHe said it was a cool name.โ€

Do yโ€™all think itโ€™s a cool name as well? You can learn more about the arrival of Jennaโ€™s baby boy by tuning in to the video below. Congratulations to her and her family!

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About the Author

Miranda Raye

Hello, I'm Miranda, a lifelong country music fan! There are old home videos of me in my baby swing, swinging along to Dolly Parton and Ricky Van Sheltonโ€™s โ€œRockinโ€™ Years.โ€ Being able to unite my passions for storytelling, researching, and music into my work has been a dream come true.

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