Belgian family with 13 children

Gwenny Blanckaert and Marino Vaneeno of Staden, Belgium, have 13 children — eight girls and five boys.

Notably, each child’s first name is made up of just four letters: A, E, L, and X.

Here are the names of all 13, from oldest to youngest:

1. Alex (boy)
2. Axel (boy)
3. Xela
4. Lexa
5. Xael
6. Xeal
7. Exla
8. Leax
9. Xale (girl, born in 2019)
10. Elax
11. Alxe
12. Laex (girl, born in 2022)
13. Laxe (boy, born in 2023)

One of my sources mentioned that the eldest child, Alex, was named after Marino’s stepfather.

Sources:

• Leenknegt, Steven. “Vlaams koppel verwelkomt na Alex, Axel, Xela, Lexa, Xael, Xeal, Exla en Leax nu dochtertje Xale: ‘En er zijn nog veel combinaties mogelijk met die letters’.” Het Nieuwsblad 26 Apr. 2019.
• Verbauwhede, Levi. “Gwenny en Marino verwelkomen hun 13de kind met de letters A, E, L en X: ‘Een verrassing, maar meer dan welkom’.” Het Nieuwsblad 28 Mar. 2023.

Image: Ein Kinderfest (1868) by Ludwig Knaus

[Latest update: Feb. 2025]