When Grimes and Elon Musk announced the name of their first child yesterday, we thought they might be joking. Posting to Twitter, following the birth, Musk revealed that their baby boy was called ‘X Æ A-12’. And the name quickly started trending, with people wondering: a) is the name real and b) how do you pronounce it?
But now, Grimes herself has seemingly confirmed the name. In a tweet, the singer broke down each section of X Æ A-12. 'X’ refers to 'the unknown variable', according to the singer. ‘Æ’ is 'my elven spelling of Ai (love &/or Artificial intelligence)'. Finally, ‘A-12’ is a nod to the 'precursor to SR-17 (our favourite aircraft). No weapons, no defenses, just speed. Great in battle, but non-violent'. And the ‘A’ in the ‘A-12’ is short for Archangel, which she says is her favourite song.
We don't know exactly which song she means, though - and we're still not entirely sure on how to pronounce the unique name, though some outlets have pointed out that Æ can be pronounced like ‘ash’.
Yesterday, the Tesla founder replied to a fan, saying that Grimes was in labour. A few hours later, he said tweeted that ‘mom & [are] baby all good’ and revealed the baby is a boy. Replying to more fans, Musk then shared two pictures of the baby - one with a tattoo filter over its face, and another of Musk holding the child. X Æ A-12 is the couple's first child - Musk has five children with his first wife, the Canadian author Justine Wilson.
Musician Grimes, who has been dating Musk since 2018, revealed her baby bump in a photo from a shoot with Eli Russell Linnetz - who is known to have previously worked with the Kardashians - back in January. She has also previously hinted that she and Musk may let their child choose their own gender identity. ‘I don’t want to gender them in case that’s not how they feel in their life,’ she told fans during a YouTube live stream about her child. ‘I don’t know, I just feel like it doesn’t need to be known.’
READ MORE: Elon Musk’s Girlfriend Grimes Is Pregnant, Announces The News In A Wild Photoshoot
READ MORE: The Most Unusual Celebrity Baby Names
Unusual celebrity baby names
Kelly-baby-name
Remington Alexander Parents - Kelly Clarkson and Brandon BlackstockForgive us if we are wrong, but has Kelly named her son after her hair straighteners? Her daughter is named River Rose, raising the suspicion that the Heartbeat Song singer is a fan of peculiar names beginning with R.
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Freddie Reign Parents – Louis Tomlinson and Briana JungwirthAn adorable name choice from the pair, who revealed how they chose it together.
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Saint Parents - Kim Kardashian and Kanye WestThe pair quashed any rumours of their second child being called 'east' or 'south' West and settled for 'saint', as Kim referred to her son as a 'blessing' after 'a difficult pregnancy'. Anna Wintour called it 'genius.'
ashton-mila-baby
Wyatt Isabelle Parents – Ashton Kutcher and Mila KunisAshton chose the name Wyatt on a whim. 'So we were going to a Lakers game, and I got name Tourette's,'' he joked. 'I just started listing off anything and everything I saw: 'Sign, truck, wall, door...' Eventually they agreed on Wyatt, which we can all agree is nice than, err, door.
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Arlo Day Parents – Leighton Meester and Adam Brody The TV show power couple Seth Cohen and Blair Waldorf (sorry) chose the adorable 'Arlo' for their first child.
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Apollo Bowie Flynn Parents – Gwen Stefani and Gavin RossdaleApollo's middle name is homage to David Bowie, though was done way before his death. Apollo may be homage to a space mission or the theatre on Shaftesbury Avenue, though they have yet to confirm.
Apple-baby-name
Apple Parents – Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin The classic unusual baby name. We all know Gwyneth enjoys food of the wholesome and healthy variety and she proved it when naming her first daughter. She said in an interview that she liked how it sounded 'wholesome' and 'clean'.
zooey-otter-baby
Elsie Otter Parents – Zooey Deschanel and Jacob PechenikElsie Otter maybe the cutest name ever. Ever. EVER. It sounds like a character name from a children's book involving lots of woodland creatures.
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Future Zahir Parents – Ciara and Future This name might seem pretty out there but Ciara and former partner rapper Future were simply keeping it in the family.
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Blue Ivy Parents – Beyonce and Jay ZJay Z did once rap, 'my favourite hue is Jay Z blue…' Ivy derives from Roman numeral IV or four, which is Bey's birthday (4th Sep), Jay Z's birthday (4th Dec) and their anniversary date (4th April). May the forth be with you?
jamie-oliver-rainbow
Petal Blossom Rainbow Parents – Jamie and Jools OliverJamie said how he didn't realise his daughters is named after a My Little Pony, but admitted all his children have more than one name, because he can't decide. His other children's names are – Poppy Honey Rosie, Daisy Boo Pamela and Buddy Bear Maurice.
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Harper SevenParents – David and Victoria BeckhamThe name Harper is a tribute to the author of Posh's favourite book -To Kill A Mockingbird. And yes, the seven is a nod to the no.7 jersey, her father wore when he played for both England and Manchester United.
john-legend-luna
Luna Simone Parents – John Legend and Chrissy TeigenChrissy asked the president Obama for advice before settling on a name. 'I asked him he like one of our name choices and he said he did. I wanted to ask him because John isn't sold on the name so I figured that if the president liked it, then John would be sold on it.'
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Buddy Bob Parents – Tom and Giovanna Fletcher The name of Ex-Mcfly's second-born derives from an English nickname.
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Kal-El Parents – Nicholas Cage and Alice KimThe original name of Superman FYI. The couple liked it because it is 'memorable' and 'sharp'. Arguably everything you need from a moniker.
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Silas Randall Parents – Justin Timberlake and Jessica BielSilas Randall reportedly derives from Justin's brother and grandad's name.
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Rex Rayne Parents – Fearne Cotton and Jesse Wood'Rex' is latin for king and with Ronnie Wood as a grandfather, he was always going to be called something unusual.
sienna-miller-baby
Marlowe Ottoline Layng Parents -Sienna Miller and Tom SturridgeMarlowe is said to be chosen after the famous Elizabethan playwright Christopher Marlowe.
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Bing Hawn Parents – Kate Hudson and Matthew BellamyThe couple decided to combine their mothers maiden name and 'Bing Hawn' was born.
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Jermajesty Parents - Jermaine Jackson and Alejandra Genevieve OaziazaJermaine Jackson has combined his name with the oh-so modest term 'majesty' when naming his fourth child. Of course he has.
cardi b
Kulture KiaraParents - Cardi B and Offset.Culture, but with a K.
shay mitchell
Atlas NoaParents - Shay Mitchell and Matte Babel.The Pretty Little Liars star was obviously inspired by her love of travelling. She told Vogue that a friend gave her the name, though. 'A close friend of ours was listing off names for her daughter that she had had a year and a half ago. Then she said Atlas and I looked at Matte, and he looked at me, and I was like, 'Oh my gosh!''
grimes elon musk
X Æ A-12 MuskParents - Grimes and Elon MuskElon has a habit of trolling, so we'll wait and see if the name sticks.
amy schumer gene attel fisher
Gene Attell FischerParents - Amy Schumer and Chris Fischer It turns out Amy Schumer was one of the last people to realise that her son's name sounded like genital. In tribute to the comedian David Attell, Amy and her husband Chris Fischer named their son Gene Attell Fischer. But now, the pair have changed the name, after they realised what 'Gene Attell' sounded like - and middle name Attell has now become David.
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Olympia Lightning BoltParents - Usain Bolt and Kasi BennettIn July, Olympic medallist Usain Bolt revealed the name of his baby girl to be Olympia Lightning Bolt, which is probably one of our favourite celebrity names ever.
lea michele and zandy reich
Ever Leo Parents - Lea Michele and Zandy ReichIn August, the pair confirmed to People that their son is called Ever Leo. And while it might be an unusual name, the Leo part of the name definitely makes sense, as the traditional Western zodiac associates Leo with the period between July 23 and August 22.
Rupert Grint and Georgia Groome wednesday
WednesdayParents - Rupert Grint and Georgia GroomeThe Harry Potter star created an Instagram account in November to reveal the name of his baby daughter. 'Hey Instagram ... only 10 years late, but here I am. Grint on the Gram!' wrote the new dad. 'Here to introduce you all to Wednesday G. Grint. Stay safe, Rupert.'
Jessica biel
PhineasSpeaking about their second baby on The Ellen DeGeneres show, Justin Timberlake told the host, 'His name is Phineas, and he is awesome and so cute and nobody's sleeping but we are thrilled. We are thrilled and we couldn't be happier. We are grateful.' (Their first child, Silas, is now five.)