A reality star just welcomed a son! 19 Kids and Counting star Joy-Anna (Duggar) Forsyth had been telling fans for months that their new baby would “probably” be named James.
See the dangerous name she chose instead at the last minute, and why fans think the moniker is problematic.
19 Kids and Counting
19 Kids and Counting aired for 7 seasons starting in 2008. During that time we got to know the Duggar family, including 9th sibling in line, Joy-Anna.
Joy-Anna Duggar married Austin Forsyth in 2017, an event that was featured on the reality series.
In their first 6 years together the couple has had 2 children and 1 miscarriage. This week, the couple welcomed their 3rd living child… a son.
Joy-Anna Forsyth gives birth
The 3rd child for the Forsyth family is here, and he’s already causing quite the stir.
Gunner James Forsyth was born May 17th, and it looks like Joy-Anna chose to break from Duggar tradition and give birth at the hospital.
While we knew the name would “probably include James” (as the Forsyth’s had been teasing on YouTube for months) we were NOT expecting the first name of Gunner- and its causing a little bit of controversy.
What’s in a name?
According to BabyNames.com, the name Gunner is defined as follows:
The name Gunner is primarily a male name of Scandinavian origin that means Warrior. Form of the name Gunnar.
Why is this name causing a stir? Mostly because of its violent, war like implications.
First of all, the spelling is telling – instead of choosing the traditional “Gunnar,” the Forsyth’s went with the noun – Gunner, a person who yields a gun. Joy-Anna and Austin have been accused of being gun enthusiasts in the past, so this is really doubling down on the couple’s conservative views.
Their first son, Gideon, has a traditionally Christian name… while it is interesting to note that it does start with a “G.” (The Duggars are known for following patterns when naming their kids, for example all of Joy-Anna’s siblings have “J” names.)
There are thousands of baby names that start with “G,” but the Forsyth’s landed on Gunner – leading fans to question the tactfulness of their choice given the violence this country has been suffering from recently related to guns.
Instagram comments include:
@Jaumbach: Why Gunner? Is it from a person? Strange name considering all the horrible shootings this country has witnessed.
@Jemimamarkle: So sad that his name contains the word “gun”.😢 I mean, not really christ-like… but happy that baby and mum are good.
Joy-Anna has admitted that they don’t usually name their babies officially until after they are born, proving that the shift from James to Gunner was decided at the last minute.
What do you think: Is the name Gunner cute or controversial?
Ashley Marie is a writer for Starcasm and the personality behind Twitter’s @RealityByAshley. You can contact Ashley via Twitter or email at realitybyashley(at)gmail.com
