I’ve been working through emails slowly but surely, and have a bunch of birth announcements to share with you! I’ll try to post a new one every few days or so; first up is a birth announcement for a family whose consultation I posted back in May for their little boy. The mama, Beth, let me know he has arrived and been given the so-handsome name … Henry James!

She writes,

“I wanted to let you know that our little boy was born September 5, weighing 8 lbs 6 oz! It was a strange end to pregnancy with lots of false alarms, but when he finally came (9 days late) he came in a fury- 25 minutes after arriving at the hospital! We finally decided on a name very late in the pregnancy- Henry James! He was very nearly a Samuel Benedict, and we also loved your suggestions of Nicholas and Luke and had them on our final list for a long time. So far he is just Henry with no nicknames (although I do use his full Henry James often), but I’m curious to see how that evolves. I think we’re leaning toward Bl. John Henry Newman as the saintly connection (since I’m a convert I feel that connection strongest), but we’re loving learning about the other Sts. Henry from your post 🙂 thank you for your beautiful suggestions and your positive points about Henry- I think it’s absolutely perfect!“

(Ohmygosh — he came 25 minutes after arriving at the hospital!! 😱)

I loooove Henry James!! Such a great combo!! And though the theme of their consultation was trying to move away from the English theme they felt their older children’s name conveyed, I can’t imagine a more perfect brother for Charles/Charlie and Catherine/Cate. Wonderful job!!

Congratulations to the whole family, and happy birthday Baby Henry!!

Henry James

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My book, Catholic Baby Names for Girls and Boys: Over 250 Ways to Honor Our Lady (Marian Press, 2018), is available to order from ShopMercy.org and Amazon — perfect for the expectant parents, name enthusiasts, and lovers of Our Lady in your life!