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A Mum Who Named Her 4 Daughters Mary

January 30, 2026 4:00 pm in by

A woman in California, Mary Heffernan, has gone viral for naming all four of her daughters Mary. The family lives on a cattle ranch they call The Five Marys with Mary’s husband, Brian.

Why She Chose the Same Name

Mary says she and her husband wanted to honour family tradition and strong role models. They come from long lines of women named Mary, and she sees it as a name that shows strength, steadiness and humility.

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She told the media she doesn’t worry about negative comments online. “The internet always has opinions… but what matters most is that our daughters love their names,” she said.

How They Tell Each Daughter Apart

To avoid confusion, each girl has a unique middle name and nickname. For example:

  • Mary Frances goes by Francie
  • Mary Marjorie is called Maisie
  • Mary Jane uses Janie
  • Mary Teresa Katherine goes by Tessa
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Mary says that once they started the naming tradition with their first daughter, it just felt right to continue with it for their other girls.

What People Think

Some people online have found the idea strange, but others think it’s charming or a powerful family tradition. Mary says she and her husband don’t need anyone else’s approval.

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