I had the privilege of posting a birth announcement for Sarah’s third baby a few years ago, and I’m thrilled to share that she’s had another baby — her third baby girl — given the gorgeous name … Caroline Grace!

Sarah writes,

“As usual, my husband’s girl list is pretty short. We had to debate if we continue on incorporating his favorite, Claire/Clare, into the name so that she matched her sisters. We also had to weigh whether or not it really mattered to us if two kids shared a first-name initial when the others don’t. Ultimately, we decided to prioritize choosing a name we both liked and that had meaning to us over trying to find a name that sounded ideal with her siblings. So we may trip over Claire and Caroline, but maybe it’s having more kids now – it seems like less of a big deal when mixed in with the oldest two? 

Caroline is a family name on dh’s side – a beloved, holy great aunt and also also Grandma’s middle name. I also like the connection to St. John Paul II (Karol) and St Charles as well as the meaning “free man.”

Grace is also a paternal family name. Dh’s holy and much-loved grandmother bore the Spanish version, Graciela. We also like the connection to Our Lady.”

Isn’t Caroline Grace just so lovely and elegant?! Sarah mentioned that they debated incorporating Claire/Clare into the name so that “she matched her sisters” — as explained in her third baby’s birth announcement post, one of Sarah’s older girls has Clare as a middle name, and another has Claire as a first name, but as I told Sarah, I’ve often thought of Caroline as sort of a “longer Clare” — people who like Clare/Claire tend to like Caroline and I’m sure the shared sounds are part of it — so to me, I think they do kind of have Clare/Claire in all their girls’ names! (I know that thought process wouldn’t make sense to anyone else haha! Crazy Catholic name lady strikes again! 😀 )

Congratulations to Sarah and her husband and big sibs Nathaniel, Julianne, and Claire, and happy birthday Baby Caroline!!

Caroline Grace

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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 (not affiliate links) — perfect for the expectant parents, name enthusiasts, and lovers of Our Lady in your life! (And check out my buy-the-book-get-a-consultation deal!)