At a Glance
- Derek and Hayley Hough welcomed daughter Everley Capri on December 29
- Everley was always Hayley’s top choice, written in her phone’s notes app
- The couple chose the middle name Capri to balance Everley’s sweetness
- Why it matters: The story shows how personal meaning and intuition guided the couple’s naming decision for their rainbow baby
Derek and Hayley Hough have shared the sweet story behind naming their newborn daughter Everley Capri, revealing it took them nearly a week to make their final decision after her December 29 birth.
How Everley Got Her Name
Hayley, 31, told News Of Los Angeles that Everley had been her favorite name for a long time. She saw a social media post that perfectly captured her experience: “It’s crazy that I’ve seen your name in my notes app for so long, and now you’re here with me.”
“That’s exactly what it’s been,” Hayley said. “Her name has always had a little star by it because there were a few that we really liked.”
The couple spent four to five days deciding on the name. Derek, 40, noted they almost reached a full week before making their choice. “We were like, ‘We should probably name her,'” he said.
Their method was simple yet meaningful. They chose to “keep staring at her and see what name calls to us,” according to Hayley.
The Special Spelling Choice
Once they settled on Everley, they intentionally spelled it to share three letters with Hayley’s name. “It’s very intentional, the way we spelled it,” Derek explained.
A friend suggested they look up the numerology of Everley. The name calculated to master number 11, which held special significance for the couple.
“Whether you believe in that kind of stuff or not, it was cool,” Derek said. “When we looked at the meanings of it, it was like, ‘Okay, this is beautiful. We love this.’ It felt right. It just was a feeling.”
The number 11 appeared throughout their journey. Everley was born 11 days late, and Hayley’s birthday is October 11. “It just called to us, and we were like, ‘This is right. This is it,'” Hayley said.
Selecting the Middle Name Capri
Everley is the couple’s rainbow baby following a miscarriage last year. During Hayley’s pregnancy, they frequently saw rainbows, which inspired Derek to consider incorporating “rain” or “bow” into the middle name.
Hayley vetoed this idea, leading them to choose Capri instead. “When we threw Capri in there, we were like, ‘Oh my gosh, this is beautiful,'” Hayley recalled.
Derek believes Capri adds the perfect balance to Everley’s sweet nature. “Capri is the little spicy part of her,” he said.
The Couple’s Journey
Derek and Hayley married in 2023 after meeting nearly a decade earlier when Hayley performed on Derek’s dance tour with his sister Julianne. Their relationship has now evolved into parenthood with the arrival of Everley.
The couple shared their naming journey in this week’s News Of Los Angeles cover story, giving readers insight into their thoughtful approach to choosing a name that would carry personal meaning for their daughter.
For more details on Derek and Hayley Hough’s experience as new parents to baby Everley, the new issue of News Of Los Angeles is available on stands Friday.
