JACK DANIELS, WHO WAS MARRIED BY JUDGE JOHNNY WALKER, NAMES NEWBORN SON JIM BEAM

Louisiana couple Jack Daniels Leathers and Lydia Leathers kept Jack’s family tradition alive by naming their newborn son Jim Beam

A story like this could happen only in America, or rather only in Louisiana. And there are plenty of other boozes they can choose from as names for any future children.

JACK DANIELS AND WIFE SHARE A JIM BEAM
By Aaren Gordon

Houma Today
December 22, 2014

If Jack Daniels and his wife had a child, what would they name it?

One local couple came up with an answer.

Jim Beam Leathers was born Nov. 14 to Jack Daniels Leathers and Lydia Leathers of Gray at Terrebonne General Medical Center.

Jack, 31, and Lydia, 23, said they wanted to continue the whiskey-name tradition Jack's parents started.

“My parents decided they wanted to name their son something to make their parents mad,” Jack said. “And, at the time, my dad was drinking Jack, which he enjoyed. My mom said, 'Why not?' ”

When Jack and Lydia went on their first date, they knew if they ever had children together, they wanted their names to be unique, like Jack's.

“On our first date, we were talking about baby names. We thought Jim Beam would be a good idea,” he said.

The couple wanted to carry on the theme. When they got married, Judge Johnny Walker of Houma officiated the ceremony.

“When Judge Johnny Walker realized that he was marrying Lydia to Jack Daniels, he turned red. We wanted to get in touch with Judge Walker to notify him that Jack Daniels had a son named Jim Beam,” he said.

“I've always tried to do stuff out of the ordinary, to do things differently than other people,” Lydia said. “It's hard to find a name that you like that nobody you know has. It was all Jack's idea. I just went along with it.”

If they have more children, Jack said the tradition won't stop with Jim.

“If we have another child, our second born will be Evan Williams, after the bourbon. If it's a girl, she will be Sherry, like the cooking sherry,” he said.

Growing up with a name like his was an interesting experience for Jack, especially after he enlisted in the Army, he said.

“Nobody believed my name until I showed them my ID,” he said. “When I went into the Army, sergeants would yell, 'How much more American can you get than Jack Daniels?' I went through most of my Army career not hearing my last name because people would call me Jack Daniels.”

Though the couple named their son after a brand of bourbon in good fun, Lydia said they sometimes hear negative comments from people about their choice.

“We get a lot of flack from other people about it,” she said. “At the end of the day, it's our son, and it's what we wanted to do.”