Celebrity Baby Names: Original or Just Weird?

 

Originally from Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, the famous question “What’s in a name?” argues against the idea that names have significance, ultimately declaring that a person’s quality matters more than any label ever could. Celebrities, however, could not seem to agree less with this belief. Names have always been used to signify something meaningful about a child’s family or heritage, but social media has allowed celebrities and influencers to place a newfound importance on baby-naming. Now, they’ll often cultivate a suspenseful buildup to their baby’s name announcement on Tiktok or Instagram by leaving hints, like teasing at a first initial, that eventually culminate in a big name reveal.

As unique baby-naming develops into more of an online trend, many famous children, like Elon Musk’s son X Æ A-Xii, have received attention not because of their famous parent, but more so because of their unusual name. Similarly, while Beyoncé’s daughter Blue Ivy and Cardi B’s daughter Kulture are well known because of their famous mothers, their birth’s were publicized largely because of their unconventional names. This media attention not only popularized uncommon baby names for non-celebrity parents, but proved to other influencers that giving their children unique names might boost their own popularity. In particular, content creator families like the Norris Nuts or NotEnoughNelsons and influencers like Nara Smith have brought attention to their platforms by choosing more obscure baby names. Smith, who named her three children Rumble Honey, Slim Easy, and Whimsy Lou, is often recognized for these choices more than for her actual content. 

A distinct name certainly comes with benefits, especially as online recognition becomes increasingly crucial to communication and, for influencers, platform growth. Nevertheless, these famous parents have taken originality to another level, often naming their children as if they’re in a competition to see whose baby name can get the most likes online. Given their public status, baby-naming have become a way for famous parents to push the boundaries of what’s conventional, attempting to emphasize their child’s uniqueness with an even more special name. 

There’s nothing objectively wrong with celebrities and influencers wanting to name their kids something memorable and creative. Still, at a certain point, it could be more harmful for the child than interesting. It often seems like these celebrities forget that when naming a child, they’re also naming a future adult. For example, Trisha Paytas’ daughter Malibu Barbie has a cute name for a toddler, but what happens when she has to write a college application or attend a job interview one day? Her name is hard to take seriously from even just a first impression. While the name “Malibu Barbie” is Paytas’ attempt to give her daughter something unique, its shock factor only backfires by overshadowing everything else that’s interesting and important about her child. 

Although many people hear these celebrity baby names and think “eek… poor kid”, so many parents have actually been inspired. Specifically, I’ve met so many people recently who are named with alternative spellings of more typical names, like “Emily” spelled “Emmaleigh” or “Riley” spelled “Ryleigh.” Many parents have also begun to use regular nouns as proper names, such as “Harbor” or “Princess.” While it’s easy for celebrity children to escape the negative side effects of an unconventional name through inherited fame and wealth, non-celebrity children don’t have the same advantages. Given the influence that celebrities continue to have over what’s popular, there might be drawbacks for ordinary who people similarly prioritize originality over functionality.

 These celebrity baby names are outlandish, but at the same time, they remind me of my own struggle to explain my name to other people. I’ve always appreciated when someone makes an extra effort to pronounce my name correctly even if they find it unusual, and it’s important to do the same no matter how absurd a name might seem. Despite it’s repercussions, unique baby-naming is only growing more popular both online and in the world, so it’s a good idea to be respectful. After all, some of these might seem pretty ordinary in five years; who knows what bizarre new baby names might turn up?