Just 15 seconds after midnight on January 1, 1976 — the first day of the U.S. bicentennial year — Charles and Valerie Hammer welcomed a baby girl at Georgetown University Hospital in Washington, D.C.
What did they name their New Year’s Day baby?
Holly Elizabeth-Ross — Holly because she was born during the Christmas season, and Elizabeth-Ross because she was born on the same day as famous flag-maker Betsy Ross.
Here’s what Charles had to say about the middle name:
Betsy Ross also was born Jan. 1, but in 1752. She’s the mother of the flag. She picked the colors, too. She was a very well-read woman, and pretty forward-thinking for her time. That’s the way we want our daughter to be.
Source: “First Baby Named for Betty Ross.” Dispatch [Lexington] 5 Jan. 1976: 1.
Image: Adapted from Birth of Our Nation’s Flag
I hardly ever hear Holly beyond the famous Bunny anymore, which is sad because I LOVE that name! Holly Elizabeth is so nice!
Not to be a fussy-britches, but…Betsy Ross didn’t actually make the first flag. It’s a pretty little myth, though.