Keeping track of the Duggar family grandchildren is basically a full-time job at this point. Seriously. Just when you think you’ve got the count down, another announcement drops on Instagram or a "secret" pregnancy is spotted in the background of a YouTube vlog. It’s wild. What started as a niche reality show about a massive family in Arkansas has spiraled into a multi-generational saga that feels more like a small village than a family unit.
Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar famously had 19 kids. Now, those kids are adults. They’re getting married—fast—and they’re having kids of their own. If you’re trying to count them all up, you’re looking at a number that has already cleared 30 and shows no signs of slowing down. It’s a lot to process. Honestly, even the most dedicated followers of 19 Kids and Counting or Counting On find themselves scratching their heads trying to remember which "M" name belongs to Josh or which "Spurgeon" belongs to Jessa.
Why the Duggar family grandchildren count changes so fast
The math is simple but the logistics are a nightmare. Most of the Duggar siblings follow the same conservative Christian "Quiverfull" philosophy their parents popularized, which essentially means they don't use birth control and welcome as many children as they believe God provides. Because so many of the siblings are in their prime child-bearing years simultaneously, we often see "triple pregnancies" where three or four Duggar sisters or sisters-in-law are expecting at the exact same time.
It’s a literal baby boom.
Take Jessa (Duggar) Seewald and her husband Ben. They’ve been major contributors to the grandchild count. They recently welcomed their fifth child, George, in late 2023. Then you have Joe and Kendra Duggar, who seemed to be on a record-breaking pace before they stepped back from the public eye. Rumors and leaked photos from family events suggest they might have more children than the public officially knows about. That's the thing about the Duggars in 2026—they aren't all on TV anymore. Ever since TLC canceled Counting On following Josh Duggar’s legal troubles and subsequent conviction, the family has splintered in how they share their lives. Some, like Jinger Vuolo, are very public but live a more "modern" life in LA. Others have gone totally dark.
The "M" Kids and the shadow of the past
We can't talk about the Duggar family grandchildren without addressing the oldest group: Josh and Anna’s kids. They all have names starting with the letter M. Mackynzie, Michael, Marcus, Meredith, Mason, Maryella, and Madyson. It’s a bit of a tragic situation, really. With Josh serving a lengthy federal prison sentence, Anna has been raising these seven children largely away from the cameras, though they are frequently seen in the background of Michelle’s "Grandma" posts.
📖 Related: Lindsay Lohan Leak: What Really Happened with the List and the Scams
The dynamic here is different. These kids are growing up in a much more complicated reality than their cousins. While the other grandchildren are celebrating birthdays with YouTube montages, the "M" kids are navigating a childhood defined by their father's absence and the public scandal that ended the family's reality TV reign. It’s a stark contrast to the sunny, curated images we see from the other branches of the family tree.
The naming trends are getting... interesting
Remember when everyone was shocked by the name Spurgeon? Jessa and Ben really went for it with that one, naming their first son after a 19th-century British preacher. It set a precedent. The Duggar family grandchildren aren't just getting "standard" names anymore. We’ve seen a shift away from the "all one letter" rule that Jim Bob and Michelle used.
- Jinger and Jeremy Vuolo went with Felicity and Evangeline. Very chic. Very Los Angeles.
- Jill and Derick Dillard have Israel, Samuel, and Frederick.
- Joy-Anna and Austin Forsyth chose Gideon, Evelyn, and Gunner.
It’s a mix of rugged, outdoorsy names and traditional biblical choices. You can almost track the sibling's personal brand by what they name their kids. Joy-Anna’s kids feel like "Arkansas country" kids—lots of camo and playing in the dirt. Jinger’s kids feel like they’re heading to a boutique coffee shop. It's fascinating to see the rebellion in the naming conventions. By picking unique names, the siblings are subtly carving out identities separate from the "J" hive mind they grew up in.
The "Hidden" Grandchildren
This is where it gets tricky for the fans. Not every Duggar child wants to be a public figure. Josiah and Lauren Duggar are the perfect example. After being quite open early in their marriage, they scrubbed their social media. They have children—Bella was their first—but they’ve reportedly had more since then without making a "People Magazine" announcement.
When you see a family photo from a Duggar wedding or a Christmas party, eagle-eyed fans play a game of "Who is that holding a baby?" There are at least two or three grandchildren who exist in this gray area of "confirmed by paparazzi/leaked photos but not officially announced." It makes a definitive list almost impossible to maintain.
👉 See also: Kaley Cuoco Tit Size: What Most People Get Wrong About Her Transformation
Living under the "Grand-Duggar" spotlight
What is it actually like for these kids? They’re growing up in a world where their grandparents are famous, their parents are (mostly) influencers, and their every milestone is potentially content. But there's a shift happening. Jill Dillard has been very vocal about the lack of payment for the original show and has moved toward a more "normal" life for her boys. They go to public school. That’s a huge deal. In the original Duggar household, homeschooling was the only option.
Seeing the Duggar family grandchildren attend public school or participate in mainstream sports is a sign that the "Duggar Way" is diluting. The strict "IBLP" (Institute in Basic Life Principles) rules that governed their parents' lives are being applied inconsistently across the third generation. Some are still very much in the fold. Others? Not so much.
The sheer scale of the 2026 holidays
Imagine Thanksgiving at the big house. If you have 19 kids, their spouses, and 30+ grandkids, you’re looking at a guest list of over 60 people. That’s not a dinner; it’s a catered event. Michelle Duggar often posts about the "laundry room" or the "industrial kitchen" being put to work. For the grandchildren, this means they have a built-in fleet of playmates. They aren't just cousins; they're more like a tribe.
But there’s tension. You can’t have that many people in one family without cliques forming. It’s pretty clear from social media that certain siblings are closer than others. The "Jill vs. the family" rift was the big story for a few years, but even that has softened into a sort of polite distance. The grandchildren are the ones who suffer or benefit from these adult dynamics. Some cousins see each other every day. Others probably only see each other at funerals or the occasional wedding.
How many Duggar family grandchildren are there right now?
If you want a hard number, you have to be careful with your "as of" date. As of early 2026, the count is hovering around 34 or 35, depending on whether you count the unconfirmed births in Josiah or Joseph's families.
✨ Don't miss: Dale Mercer Net Worth: Why the RHONY Star is Richer Than You Think
- Josh & Anna: 7 kids
- Jill & Derick: 3 kids
- Jessa & Ben: 5 kids
- Jinger & Jeremy: 2 kids
- Joseph & Kendra: 4 kids (estimated/partially private)
- Josiah & Lauren: 3 kids (estimated/partially private)
- Joy-Anna & Austin: 3 kids
- Jedidiah & Katey: 2 kids
- Jeremiah & Hannah: 2 kids
- Justin & Claire: (They’ve been married a while, so people are always watching)
- John David & Abbie: 2 kids
And then you have the younger ones. Jackson, Johannah, Jennifer, Jordyn, and Josie. They aren't even married yet. When the "lost girls" (as fans call the younger daughters) start having kids, the number is going to explode. We are legitimately looking at a future where Jim Bob and Michelle could have 100+ grandchildren. It sounds like hyperbole, but if the current average of 4-5 kids per couple holds, 100 is actually a conservative estimate.
The Evolving Legacy
The Duggar family grandchildren represent the future of a brand that has been through the wringer. The brand used to be "wholesome Christian values." Now, the brand is "survival and reconstruction." Some of these kids will likely grow up to write their own tell-all books. Others will stay in the IBLP world and continue the cycle.
What's clear is that the public's fascination hasn't died. We’ve moved from watching the kids grow up to watching how they raise their own children. It’s a real-life Truman Show situation, except the subjects are now the ones holding the cameras.
If you're trying to stay updated, the best way isn't checking the news—it's watching the margins of family Instagram stories. Look for the car seats in the background of a video. Look for the "gender neutral" nursery decor that hints at a new arrival. The Duggars might be off traditional TV, but the soap opera of the Duggar family grandchildren is playing out every single day on a smartphone screen near you.
How to keep up without losing your mind
If you actually want to follow the timeline of the Duggar family grandchildren, don't just follow the main accounts. The "in-laws" are often much more likely to post candid shots than the actual Duggar siblings.
- Watch the YouTube channels: Jessa and Joy-Anna are the most active "vloggers." They provide the most "boots on the ground" look at what the grandkids are actually doing day-to-day.
- Check the Reddit communities: Subreddits like "DuggarsSnark" or "CountingOn" are actually incredibly efficient at tracking pregnancies based on "bump" sightings in the background of photos.
- Look for the gaps: When a usually active sibling goes silent for three months, it almost always means a baby has arrived.
The story of this family has shifted from the "19 kids" to the "dozens of grandkids." It's a massive, messy, complicated human experiment. Whether you're a fan or a critic, there's no denying that the scale of this family tree is a statistical anomaly in modern America. And it's only getting bigger.