A mother wanted to keep her six children connected forever. The unique names she gave them became a symbol of their success

A Virginia mother’s unusual choice of names for her six children has gained attention after her idea of turning state names into a symbol of hope and togetherness was featured as TODAY.com’s Baby Name of the Week. Nevada, Montana, Indiana, Arizona, Missouri and Dakota were not picked because of family trips or geography, but because their mother wanted them to believe their future could go beyond their surroundings.

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A mother’s unusual idea behind six unique names

Xaviera Greene-Davis was raising six children in Newport News, Virginia, while facing challenges that had also shaped her own early life. She wanted her children to grow up believing they were capable of achieving more than what people around them expected.

The names of six US states became her way of creating a shared identity for her children. For Greene-Davis, those places represented opportunities, growth and possibilities beyond the neighbourhood where her family lived.

During difficult phases of her life, including periods when she was in and out of jail, she hoped the names would keep her children connected and remind them that they belonged together.

“It worked,” Montana Jones, 26, tells TODAY.com. “We’ve been close our whole lives. It’s always been the six of us.”

Names that made the siblings stand out

The unique names quickly attracted attention as the children grew up. Montana Jones often heard jokes and comparisons linked to the popular Disney character Hannah Montana.However, the reactions never changed how she felt about her name. Instead, she sees it as a meaningful gift from her mother and is even thinking about continuing the tradition in her own way.

“I plan on doing something similar,” Montana says. “If not states, maybe cities.”

Six children, six different journeys

Greene-Davis later moved away from Virginia, got married and relocated with her family to North Carolina. According to Montana, the move helped her mother transform her life.

“She completely turned her life around.”

Greene-Davis also believes the decision changed the direction of her family.

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“It was a great decision,” Greene-Davis agrees.

Today, she looks at her children’s achievements as proof of that journey. All six children completed high school, and each has followed a different career or education path.

Montana works as a deputy sheriff, while Nevada, 27, is employed with a restoration company. Indiana, 23, works as a veterinary technician, and Arizona, 21, is a 911 dispatcher. Missouri, 20, works at a daycare centre, while Dakota, 18, plays football at Virginia State University.

A family story built around hope

For Montana, the names are more than just unusual choices. They represent her mother’s belief that her children could create a different future.

“She always felt in her heart that her six states were going to be something,” Montana says. “Everybody is going to remember our names.”