Why celebrities pick such bizarre baby names like Diva Thin Muffin and Rumble Honey – explained-Kitty Chrisp-Entertainment – Metro

Why do celebs love to give their babies such unusual names? (Picture: Getty)

Celebrities, celebrities, celebrities. Why do they always give their sprogs such bizarre names?

When was the last time an A-lister opted for a sturdy Kate or George over Katamalia and Gorgeous? Nope, not happening: they prefer Bambi (Molly Mae and Tommy Fury), Rocky (Kourtney Kardashian) and Apple (who else but Gwyneth Paltrow).

But this desire for a unique baby name transcends the world of celebrity and is seeping into UK households, according to Sophie Kihm from Nameberry, who spoke to Metro.co.uk last year.  

‘New word names are on the rise across the English-speaking world. In England and Wales, names like Raine, Dusty, Storm, and Navy are trending for girls, while Sunny, Zephyr, and Forest are rising for boys. Ocean is hot for both sexes,’ she said. Wavy, indeed. 

So what is going on: why do we and celebrities choose weird – and sometimes wonderful, sometimes not-so – names?

Chartered Psychologist Dr Mark Rackley tells Metro.co.uk it’s more to do with the parents’ image of themselves than their aspirations for the child.

Molly Mae Hague and Tommy Fury called their little girl Bambi (Picture: MollyMae/Instagram)

‘Having a unique name draws attention to the parent and the child. The parent will view this as positive attention and will enjoy this attention (the same cannot be said for the child),’ he said.  

‘Some people also want the unique name to create a sense of who or what they are in society, such as believing that certain names are more associated with the upper classes, showing that you are highly educated or well-travelled. Whatever the reason, it serves a purpose for the parent.’ 

So are weird baby names a sign of a wanting ego? It appears this might be the case, which could go some way to explaining why celebrities – who live in and thrive off the limelight – coin the weirdest names around. 

While Dr Mark thinks some children will ‘embrace the name and own it,’ he says it doesn’t always go so well. 

‘They can also resent the parents for giving them the name in the first place and this creates friction in the relationship,’ he explains. 

Ye have been warned. Back to Oliver, it is.

Elon Musk and Grimes’ baby names

Of course Elon Musk and Grimes called their child little, er, X Æ A-ii. Originally, their son – who they welcomed in 2020 – was called X Æ A-12, but due to that darn mediaeval thing called Californian law, which prohibits names including numbers, they swapped 12 out for Roman numerals. 

In the days following the little one’s birthday, Grimes tweeted an explanation for the weird moniker, as she wrote: ‘X, the unknown variable. Æ, my elven spelling of Ai (love &/or Artificial intelligence).

Elon Musk is perhaps the king of wild baby names (Picture: CHANDAN KHANNA/AFP via Getty Images)

‘A-12 = precursor to SR-17 (our favourite aircraft). No weapons, no defences, just speed. Great in battle, but non-violent.’

The second A is named after Archangel, Grimes’ favourite song and 12 is the Chinese zodiac sign of the rat – 2020 is believed to be the year of the Metal Rat.

Elon addressed his baby mama’s explanation, as he replied: ‘SR-71, but yes.’

Okay then! 

Musk is also dad to Nevada, Griffin, Vivian, Kai, Saxon, Damian, Strider, Azure, and X’s younger sister, Exa Dark Sideræl Musk, and brother, who was reportedly welcomed in 2023, Techno Mechanicus. Of course.

Jimmy Carr‘s baby name

Comedian Jimmy Carr revealed in 2021 that he secretly welcomed a son called Rockefeller in 2019 with his partner Karoline Copping . 

He revealed the unusual moniker in an interview with the Radio Times that year, telling them his toddler is named after John D Rockefeller, the Standard Oil magnate, richest person in modern history and wealthiest American of all time, although added: ’Also with a hint of Chris Rock, the greatest ever comedian.’

Jimmy Carr’s son is called Rockefeller and he’s explained why (Picture: Thomas M Jackson/Getty Images)

Nara and Lucky Blue Smith’s baby name

Nara Smith, 22, and her husband, Lucky Blue Smith, 25, welcomed their third child together earlier this month, calling her Whimsy Lou Smith. 

Whimsy Lou’s siblings are called Slim Easy and Rumble Honey, while model Lucky Blue also shares a daughter – Gravity Blue – with his ex Stormi Bree, born in July 2017. 

In December, Nara – who is a TikTok influencer and model – teased what she would be calling her children by listing the names she ‘loves’ but won’t be using. 

‘These are some baby names that are on my list I won’t be using. For reference, our kids have pretty unique names, so these might be a little out there,’ she said, before listing names like Odie, Pepper, Dawn and Pear, as well as Cherry and Bubble for a middle name. For a boy, she said she liked the names Frosty, Sunny, Silver and Zen.

But what if Zen isn’t Zen…? 

Frank Zappa’s baby names

The late rock n’ roll legend Frank Zappa, who died of prostate cancer in 1993, had four children with his wife Gail Zappa.

Their two sons are called Dweezil and Ahmet Zappa, with their daughters’ names Diva Thin Muffin and Moon Unit Zappa. Unique. 

In 2013, Gail opened up about the reasons for their unusual names in an interview with The Times, as she explained Dweezil was Frank’s pet name for one of his toes. Okay. 

Frank Zappa’s baby name reasoning was truly something (Picture: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)

Ahmet was the name of the family’s, er, fictional manservant they would pretend to have when they were ‘all but penniless’. 

Diva was a loud baby, and Moon… While Zappa was leaving the house for a tour of Europe, Gail asked what they should call her. His response was ‘You can name it Moon or Motorhead.’  

‘You know, you’re not [truly] related to your partner in life until you have a child together. So we became a family unit and that’s the significance of Moon’s middle name,’ Gail said. 

Paul Danan’s baby name

Former Hollyoaks star Paul Danan welcomed a son in 2015, and called him, erm, DeNiro Danan. A tribute to Hollywood actor Robert DeNiro, perhaps…

Nick Cannon’s baby names

Where do we start? Nick Cannon has got so many children even his own brother Gabriel can’t keep track. 

The US TV star now has 12 children with six different women called, deep breath: Monroe, Moroccan, Golden, Powerful, Zion, Zillion, Zen, Legendary, Onyx, Rise, Beautiful and Halo.

Nick Cannon shares children with Mariah Carey – and five other women (Picture: Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

Kim Kardashian and Kanye West’s baby names

Kim Kardashian and Kanye West welcomed four children together during their eight-year relationship. North, Saint, Chicago and Psalm are their chosen names, and all have a deeper meaning 

Chicago is a nod to the All Falls Down hitmaker’s hometown, while Kris Jenner previously revealed North means ‘highest power’. 

‘[Kim] says that North is their highest point together,’ she explained. 

When Saint was born a source told E! News the couple chose Saint because he was ‘a blessing,’ after Kim’s ‘difficult pregnancy.’ 

Kanye West and Kim Kardashian welcomed four children together, all with unusual names (Picture: Marc Piasecki/WireImage)

A friend of the couple told People that Ye sees names as an important part of identity. ‘Kanye believes that a name is extremely important and that it’s the first sense of identity that we have,’ they said, continuing: ‘He believes that people live up to their names, which is why he wanted a name with spiritual significance.’ 

As for Psalm, Jenner told ET ‘the inspiration was the Book of Psalms in the Bible’. 

A source previously told People the name was a reflection of Kanye’s renewed dedication to his Christian faith.

Jason Lee’s baby name

Pilot Inspektor Riesgraf Lee was the name actor Jason Lee and Beth Riesgraf chose for their first child together in 2003. 

Lee explained that the little boy’s name was inspired by one of Riesgraf’s favourite songs by indie rock band Grandaddy.

Shannyn Sossamon’s baby name

A Knight’s Tale actor Shannyn Sossamon and boyfriend Dallas Clayton named their son Audio Science, explaining: ‘We wanted a word, not a name, so my boyfriend read through the dictionary three or four times. We were going to call him Science, but thought it might get shortened to Sci, as in Simon.’ 

Penn Jillette’s baby name

Moxie CrimeFighter Jillette was the natural name magician Penn Jillette gave his daughter – of course. 

In 2006 he told the New York Times in an email: ‘“Moxie” is a name that was created by an American for the first national soft drink and then went on to mean “chutzpah,” and that’s nice.’ 

‘Everyone I know with an unusual name loves it,’ he continued. ‘It’s only the losers named Dave that think having an unusual name is bad, and who cares what they think. They’re named Dave.’ 

Got a story?

If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.

Entertainment – MetroRead More