Meri Brown shared a cryptic update on Christmas 2023 which points toward her finally changing her name after her official split form Kody a year ago.
Sister Wives star Meri Brown has seemingly revealed she’s changing her last name and here’s what the name could mean. Meri is a 52-year-old reality TV star who was introduced as Kody Brown’s first wife in September 2010. Back then, the show centered around Kody and his three wives and their 12 children while he followed polygamy. Meri and Kody were legally married in April 1990. Meri had met Kody at church when she was 18 years old. Meri thought Kody was cute and his talkative personality kept her engaged. Meri knew he was her soulmate. Meri and Kody welcomed Leon Brown together.
Meri was Kody’s only legal wife for 34 years while he kept marrying more women in spiritual unions. In 2014, Meri divorced Kody for him to legally marry his fourth wife, Robyn Brown, and adopt her children. In 2015, Meri became the victim of an elaborate catfishing scandal. While Meri and Kody had already started to drift apart, the incident created a permanent wedge between the two. Meri and Kody went to couples therapy but were unable to fix their marriage. In January 2023, the Sister Wives couple officially announced their decision to permanently terminate their marriage.
3What Is Meri Brown’s Maiden Name?
Meri’s last name before she married Kody was Barber. Meri was born “Meri Caroline Barber” on January 16, 1971, in Alameda, California, according to SisterWivesFandom. Her mother was Bonnie Barber (née Ahlstrom) and her father was William James Barber Jr. In her Brown memoir, Becoming Sister Wives: The Story of an Unconventional Marriage, Meri revealed her father ventured into polygamy when she was six or seven years old. Her father decided to marry his second wife when the family moved from California to Utah. Meri’s father eventually had five wives and Meri supposedly had 27 siblings.
2How Meri’s Supposed New Name Was Discovered
In December 2023, Meri shared a photo on her Instagram stories that showed an ornament that was gifted to her by her friend Jenn Sullivan. The ornament was in the shape of a postcard addressed to Santa Claus, as reposted by Reddit user u/natalathea. It read, “Please bring me pink & white sparkly countertops with rounded edges. Oh, and a new BFF.” It also had a name etched on it. The postcard was signed “Meri Caroline Davenport.” Since Meri’s middle name is publicly known to be Caroline, fans were quick to assume Meri was in the process of officially changing her last name to Davenport.
1What Meri’s “Davenport” Last Name Means
Meanwhile, Redditor u/pnwqueenk could have discovered why Meri chose “Davenport” as her last name. Lizzie’s Heritage Inn is a hotel and resort located in Parowan, Utah. The property was built in 1870 and was previously owned by Meri’s great-great-grandparents. Meri purchased the property in 2017 for $80,000. Lizzie’s Heritage website talks about the “founding woman” of the home who was named Sarah Ann Davenport. She was born in 1847 in England and moved to the U.S. where she later married Charles Adams. Sister Wives star Meri could have chosen to carry on her family name while creating a brand-new identity for herself after her split with Kody.
