October 07, 2020 • hometowns
Tenley Molzahn Shares the Backstory of Her Daughter Rell's Name
Tenley Molzahn and her husband Taylor Leopold welcomed their first child two weeks ago, and now they’re sharing the story behind their daughter’s name.
Tenley gave birth to Rell Jaymes Leopold September 20 and has been posting photos and videos of their little one and what life is like as family of three. On Tuesday, Tenley uploaded a photo of Rell sleeping and explained how she and Taylor landed on the name.
She began her caption, "We had 3 names that we had kept a secret from EVERYONE, & one name that was definitely in the lead. But the week of her due date, Taylor had come home from a sunset surf and said... 'what do you think of the name Rell?' Right away, I lit up & said, 'I LOVE IT!'"
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After that, Tenley and Taylor "immediately moved 2 names off the list," so Rell and a mystery name, which is "still a secret," remained.
She said, "We were just waiting to meet our girl to see who she was. And she was our Rell Jaymes."
Rell’s name is pronounced just like "bell." Tenley wrote in her caption that the name "popped into [Taylor’s] head" while he was surfing one night.
She elaborated, "But he knew of the name because of the late, Rell Sunn. She was a legendary female surfer in Hawaii & was known for her joy and light in her community and the surf world. Characteristics we have been praying over our little love since we learned we were pregnant!"
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Tenley also explained her daughter’s middle name Jaymes had been "planned long before we found out we were having a baby." It’s a combination of Taylor’s dad Jay and Tenley’s father Robert James' names.
Rell is already making her namesake proud. Over the weekend, Tenley took Rell with her to the beach for the first time to watch Taylor surf.
Tenley wrote, "She loved it!! We think. 😉 She snoozed the whole time we were there! Hoping she will love the beach and the ocean as much as we do!"
Check out more photos of Rell below!
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