Most Kids In The World
William Harris The woman with the most kids after Valentina is the wife of Yakov Kirillov. Yakov was also a Russian peasant from the 1700s.
Today, childbearing is considered a hefty task that not everybody can complete. Even those who want kids think that a couple should not have more than 2-3 kids.
However, before technological advancement, people believed that more children meant more power for the family. This is why only one woman from the 21st century is in the top 20 list of women with the most children.
1. Yakov Kirillov Wife
No. of Children: 57
Nationality: Russian
Yakov Kirillov and his first wife had 57 children from their marriage. The woman was pregnant 21 times, during which she gave birth to ten twins, seven triplets, and four quadruplets.
Reportedly, the peasant couple had their last child in 1755. It was the same year Yakov was honored at the queen's court for his remarkable achievement.
2. Barbara Stratzmann
No. of Children: 53
Nationality: German
Barbara Stratzmann was a German woman who lived from 1448 to 1503. With the help of her husband Adam, she gave birth to 53 children.
Barbara and Adam had 15 daughters and 38 sons from their marriage. She welcomed 5 twins, 4 triplets, 1 set of sextuplets, and 1 set of septuplets, from 29 births.
Among the 53 kids, 19 were stillborn. Similarly, at the time of her last delivery in 1498, her oldest surviving kid was only eight.
3. Mariam Nabatanzi Babirye
No. of Children: 44
Nationality: Ugandan
Mariam is a 42-year-old woman from Mukono district of Central Uganda. She is considered the most fertile woman in the world alive.
Babirbye was married to a 40-year-old man when she was only 12 years old. She had her first child at the age of 13. By the time she reached 36, Mariam had 44 children from 15 deliveries. She gave birth to 6 twins, 4 triplets, and 3 quadruplets. However, only 38 of her children are alive today, which consists of 22 sons and 16 daughters.
Babirye's husband ran off after he couldn't afford to raise 38 kids. This put a lot of pressure on Mariam to hold a job while also taking care of her children.
4. Elizabeth Mott
No. of Children: 41
Nationality: English
Elizabeth Mott was an English woman from Monks Kirby, Warwickshire. She got married to a man named John Mott in 1676.
From 1676 to 1720, the couple welcomes 42 children into their family. Elizabeth eventually passed away in 1720. However, it's not known if she died from complications from childbirth or any pre-existing health condition.
5. Alice Hookes
No. of Children: 41
Nationality: Welsh
Alice Hookes was a Welsh woman currently buried in Conwy Church Cemetery located in Gwynedd, North Wales.
Her last child was a son named Nicholas Hookes who was born in 1553. He passed away at the age of 84 in 1637.
Due to a lack of historical documents, additional details about Alice have been lost in time.
Other Women With Most Children
Besides the above-mentioned women, the list continues with mothers from various centuries, including:
- Elizabeth Greenhill [39 Children]
- Mary Jonas [33 Children]
- Moddie Olivera [32 Children]
- Maria Addolorata Casalini [32 Children]
- Madalena Carnauba [32 Children]
- Maria Benita Olivera [32 Children]
- Rebecca Town [30 Children]
- Elizabeth Johnson [28 Children]
- Mabel Murphy [28 Children]
- Irene Robinson [27 Children]