Celebs Explain The Inspiration Behind Their Unique Baby Names
Celebs Explain The Inspiration Behind Their Unique Baby Names
Celebrities aren't exactly strangers to setting trends. In fact, whether it's the latest age-reversing skin treatment or must-have jeans, Hollywood is kind of known for letting the general public know what's up. So it comes as no surprise that celebs are also known to go rogue when it comes to naming their kids—and they sure do come up with some interesting monikers.
And with everyone from Gwyneth's daughter Apple to Gwen Stefani's Zuma Nesta Rock, there are certainly some interesting names among the bunch—here are some of the most unusual celebrity names to make the list so far.
Psalm
Never ones to go by the book (keep reading for even more from this uniquely-named brood!), Kim Kardashian West and Kanye West welcomed Psalm (Hebrew for "song") to the family in 2019. Born via surrogate, their son's name is said to refer to "where Kim and Kanye are spiritually."
Birdie Mae
In March 2019, Jessica Simpson announced the arrival of her third child, a girl named Birdie, on Instagram. The fashion maven and pop singer's "party of five" also includes husband Eric Johnson, daughter Maxwell Drew, and son Ace Knute.
Summer Rain
This pop singer opened up to People about the meaning behind the eclectic moniker she and husband Matthew Rutler selected for their first child together. "Summer is a time of spreading warmth and light, while rain washes away…replenishes and brings new life to allow growth and new beginnings," Christina Aguilera says. "Her beauty and sunshine exude from within.”
Summer Rain joins Max Liron, Christina's child from her first number to Jordan Bratman.
Bear Blaze
Kate Winslet's two older kids, Mia and Joe, inspired her third child's fierce name, the actress revealed on The Ellen Degeneres Show. "The whole pregnancy is about 'What are we going to call the baby?' So it was really lovely, actually; they were very much included, and we settled on Bear quite early on. A friend of mine when I was younger was nicknamed Bear, and I just had always really loved it," she said.
Blaze is a nod to how Winslet and Ned Rocknroll met—in a house fire.
Future Zahir
What could be a more fitting name for the child of hip-hop stars Ciara and Future than, well, a future Future? Of their first and only son together, Ciara told Us Weekly settling on the first name, "was kind of easy. But the middle name was a little hard for me…I went with what felt right in my soul and my gut. I didn't second guess it."
The couple separated in 2014, and Ciara has since had another daughter, Sienna Princess, with now-husband/NFL star Russell Wilson.
Audio Science
Shannyn Sossamon, who has starred in films like A Knight’s Tale and Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, and her then-boyfriend, children's book author Dallas Clayton, said they landed on Audio Science as the name for their son by reading through the dictionary a few times. Shannyn welcomed her second son, Mortimer Kaufman, eight years later.
Gravity Blue
Models Lucky Blue Smith and Stormi Bree landed on a unique baby name for their daughter: Gravity. The pretty pair apparently split soon after her birth, but both have been fully enjoying the gravity of parenting, sharing adorable photos and videos on their respective Instagram accounts.
Denim Cole
Singer Toni Braxton and her then-husband, Keri Lewis, were really close to choosing a different baby name for their second.
"My son Denim, it was supposed to be spelled D-e-n-h-a-m, like Oldham, but when we were in the hospital, in Atlanta, the nurse said 'how's little baby Den-ham?' So we started spelling it like the jean. I changed it to the jean. Some people say it's French, and some people say it's English," Toni told OK! Magazine.
Denim's older brother also has a noteworthy name: Diesel.
Amazonie
French model Tina Kunakey and her husband, actor Vincent Kassel (you may recognize him from Black Swan), announced their first daughter's arrival on Instagram in April with a photo of a powerful and picturesque waterfall. Amazonie may pay tribute to the couple's part-time residence in Brazil, sources have said.
Kulture Kiari
Fans of Cardi B and Migos rapper Offset quickly made the connection between their daughter's name and Dad's discography—Migos' latest two albums were Culture and Culture II. "Anything else woulda been basic ????♀?," Cardi confirmed in an Instagram post.
As for Kulture's middle name? Offset's full legal name is Kiari Kendrell Cephus, meaning he now shares a name and initials with his baby girl.
Blue Ivy
Queen Bey and Jay-Z introduced Blue Ivy Carter to the world on January 9, 2012. "Hello Hello Baby Blue," the couple said in a statement to MTV News. "We are happy to announce the arrival of our beautiful daughter, Blue Ivy Carter, born on Saturday, January 7, 2012." Beyonce and Jay-Z welcomed twins—Sir and Rumi—in 2017.
Sparrow James Midnight
Nicole Richie and Good Charlotte's Joel Madden welcomed their second child, a son named Sparrow, in September 2009. On choosing the name, Joel told People: "It reminded me of the Johnny Cash song 'A Boy Named Sue.' My worry raising a son in Hollywood is what will he have to struggle for? I wanted to give him a name that he’s going to have to stand up for. I love it; I think it’s a beautiful name."
The couple also has a daughter, Harlow Winter Kate.
Zuma Nesta Rock
Gwen Stefani gave birth to her second child, Zuma Nesta Rock, with musician Gavin Rossdale in October 2018. According to the Daily News, "Zuma" came from the name of a beach in Malibu that Gavin visited at the start of his career to find inspiration. And "Nesta" was reportedly the given name of Bob Marley, the reggae icon Gwen has long named as an influence to her career.
The couple also had together sons Kingston James McGregor and Apollo Bowie Flynn before splitting in 2015.
Sunday Molly
Austin Powers actor Mike Myers and his wife, Kelly Tisdale, welcomed their second child, Sunday Molly, in April 2014. The couple also has two other children, son Spike and daughter Paulina.
Bear Blu
Alicia Silverstone and then-husband Christopher Jarecki welcomed their son, Bear Blu, on May 5, 2011. When it came to choosing a name, the Clueless actress said she simply couldn't decided between two that she liked, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
"We had narrowed our list to five boy names, and then we couldn't really decide," she said. "He suggested Bear or Blu, and I loved them both."
Alicia and Chris announced they were separating in 2018, after more than 20 years of marriage.
Moroccan Scott and Monroe
Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon welcomed twins Moroccan Scott and Monroe in May 2011. According to ABC News, Moroccan earned his moniker as a result of the Moroccan-inspired decor in Mariah's apartment, the spot where Nick proposed to the singer.
Esmeralda Amada
Ryan Gosling and Eva Mendes never released an official statement—they're known for keeping their personal life pretty private—to announce the birth of their daughter, Esmeralda Amada, in September 2014.
In 2016, the couple welcomed a second daughter, Amada Lee. About the name their daughters share, Eva told Latina magazine the name "Amada" means "loved" in Spanish.
"My grandmother's name is Amada, and Esmeralda Amada is the name of our oldest," Eva said, according to Hello! "We had a few names picked out for our new baby, and when she was born, we didn't feel like those names were her."
Apple
This list, perhaps, wouldn't be possible without Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin, who kicked off the unique baby naming trend when they announced the arrival of their daughter, Apple, born in 2004.
Paltrow, who split from Martin in 2014 and recently married Brad Falchuk, told Howard Stern in a 2015 interview that Chris named their daughter and that Apple "loves" her name.
Suri
Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise announced the arrival of Suri Cruise in 2006. The name "Suri" has Hebrew origins and means "princess," or in Persian means "red rose."
Katie and Tom split in 2012.
Bingham
Kate Hudson and then-fiancé Matt Bellamy welcomed son Bingham on July 9, 2011. The British rocker tweeted about the meaning of his son's name, noting: "For those wondering, Bingham is my mum’s maiden name and Bing Russell was Kurt’s dad. Family connections all round!"
The couple parted ways in 2014. Kate gave birth to daughter Rani Rose earlier this year, her first child with boyfriend Danny Fujikawa.
Cricket Pearl
Busy Philipps announced via Twitter the arrival of Cricket Pearl in 2013, her second daughter with husband Marc Silverstein—the couple is also parents to Birdie Leigh.
Busy explained to the TODAY Show the reason they chose their daughters' unique names: "Since I grew up with a nickname—Busy being short for Elizabeth—when my husband and I started to have our babies, we decided that if wanted to call our kids something, we would just name them that thing that we wanted to call them," she said.
Chicago
Adding to their already unique list of kids' names—the pair is also parents to North, 5, and Saint, 3—Kim Kardashian West and Kanye West announced the arrival of Chicago, born via surrogate, in January 2018.
Elsie Otter
New Girl's Zooey Deschanel and husband Jacob Pechenik welcomed their daughter Elsie Otter in August 2016. In an interview on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Zooey said they chose the name Elsie because that thought it was "a classic name," ET Online reported.
As for their daughter's middle name, Zooey said her husband went "a little bit wild" with his choice of "Otter." "I love animals so much," the actress told Ellen. "And we love otters because they're so cute and playful and fun. And they’re really smart."
The couple are also parents to a son, Charlie Wolf.
Stormi
Kylie Jenner—who gave birth to Stormi in February 2018—waited to announce the name of her daughter with rapper Travis Scott until the day after her arrival. Kylie posted to Instagram a closeup photo of her daughter's hand with the caption "stormi webster" followed by the angel emoji.
Fuschia Katherine
Sting and his first wife, Frances Tomelty, have two children together, a son, Joseph, and daughter, Fuchsia Katherine. These days, the 36-year-old actress and singer goes by "Fuschia Kate" with roles in Saving Mr. Banks and Billionaire Boys Club, as well as a singer for the Logan movie's Super Bowl ad.
Petal Blossom Rainbow
Chef Jamie Oliver and wife Jools are no stranger to the unique names for kids club. In addition to Petal, they've dubbed their kiddos a wide range of interesting monikers: Poppy Honey Rosie, Daisy Boo Pamela, Buddy Bear and River Rocket Blue Dallas are also dining at the (surely amazing) Oliver family table.
Destry Allyn
Steven Spielberg and Kate Capshaw have seven kids between them—two of which are from previous marriages and a son, Theo, Capshaw adopted before marrying Spielberg in 1991. But perhaps the most interesting name to come from the crew is Destry Allyn, the couple's daughter who was born in 1996.
Gio Grace
Adam Levine and Behati Prinsloo welcomed Gio Grace in February 2018, their second daughter together (the couple are also parents to Dusty Rose). The Voice coach said on The Ellen DeGeneres Show in May that Dusty was pretty smitten with her new sister, adding: "She’s obsessed with Gio. Every morning when she wakes up, the first thing she says is, 'Gio, Gio, Gio, Gio!'"
Sonnet
Forest Whitaker and Keisha Nash Whitaker welcomed Sonnet in 1996, adding to their already-interesting list of kids' names: In addition to Sonnet, the couple has together a second daughter, True, as well as two children from previous relationships, Ocean and Autumn. After 22 years of marriage, the couple filed for divorce last month, citing irreconcilable differences.
Pilot Inspektor
Actor Jason Lee and former partner Beth Riesgraf have said they reportedly chose the name "Pilot" for their son after Jason heard a song from The Sophtware Slump album by the band Grandaddy. In 2005, the My Name Is Earl star told Entertainment Weekly: "The opening track, 'He's Simple, He's Dumb, He's the Pilot,' absolutely blew my mind when I first heard it."
Luna Simone
Power couple John Legend and Chrissy Teigen welcomed their daughter, Luna Simone, in April 2016. Chrissy and John welcomed a son, Miles, in May.
Batel Lu
Jenna Jameson gave birth to daughter Batel in April 2017, her third child (she has twin sons with ex-partner Tito Ortiz) and first with fiancé Lior Bitton. Since then, Jenna has been sharing her 80-pound weight loss journey and tips for success on the keto diet on her Instagram account, @jennacantlose.
Alexis Olympia
Tennis champion Serena Williams and husband Alexis Ohanian welcomed daughter Alexis Olympia in September 2017. In a piece for CNN.com, Serena wrote of her traumatic birth experience, saying she "almost died" following an emergency C-section.
Bodhi Soleil
Nikki Reed and Iam Somerhalder welcomed their daughter Bodhi Soleil in July 2017, E! News reported. Nikki took to Instagram to announce her pregnancy (she was already about 7 months along at the time), writing, "How is it possible to love someone so much already? All I know for sure is it's the strongest feeling I've ever felt. We've been sharing this body for quite some time, and we've already experienced so much together. We can't wait to meet you."
Inez
Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds welcomed their second child, a daughter named Inez, in September 2016. After some speculation for how to spell the little one's name (the couple never confirmed the spelling), Blake set the record straight, telling People: "I had a new baby, Inez, with a ‘z’ even though everyone says it’s with an ‘s.’ I don’t know why, please tell Wikipedia."
Blake and Ryan are also parents to another daughter, James, 4.
Sienna Princess
Ciara welcomed her daughter, Sienna Princess, in April 2017, her first child with husband Russell Wilson. Ciara also shares a son, Future Zahir Wilburn, 4, with her ex-boyfriend, Future.
Onyx Solace
Alanis Morissette and husband Mario Treadway welcomed their second child, Onyx Solace, in June 2016. The "Jagged Little Pill" singer shared details of her home birth, telling People: “It gets gnarlier and gnarlier."
Alanis continued: "I think the words Texas Chainsaw Massacre were used when [my midwife and doula] walked in. It’s pretty gnarly, but it’s not meant to be all clean and perfect. We are animals.”
The couple also have a son, Ever Imre, 8.
Lukensia
Kal-El
A lifelong fan of comic books and superheroes, Nicolas Cage named his son with then-wife Alice Kim after Superman. "Kal-El was [Superman]'s original name on Krypton," Nicolas explained after his son's birth in 2005. "So I wanted a name that stood for something good, was unique and American and that’s all three. I just thought it was a beautiful name and it had kind of a magical ring to it."
Fun fact: The Oscar-winning actor (born Nicolas Coppola) got his stage name from a comic book hero, too—Marvel's Luke Cage.
Bronx Mowgli
Fall Out Boy's Pete Wentz chose not to explain the name he and then-wife Ashlee Simpson gave their son when he was born in 2008. "We'd been throwing ['Bronx'] back and forth a while ago," Pete said. "I feel weird because all these people have all these ideas on what it means... It's kind of cool to leave the narrative what it is." Mowgli, on the other hand, is a direct reference to The Jungle Book.
Ashlee and Pete split in 2011, but both kept up with the unique names: Ashlee went on to welcome daughter Jagger Snow with husband Evan Ross, while Pete and girlfriend Meagan Camper are also parents to son Saint Lazslo and daughter Marvel Jane.
Cute animals, superheroes, favorite colors—nothing is off-limits for these stars.