Ah, celebrities. Many of their children will never have to worry about plebian matters like money or food. This means celeb parents can get away with bestowing on their progeny the strangest names. For instance, Ashlee Simpson‘s son has a name you don’t see often on many resumes: Bronx Mowgli. Good for Bronx! Simpson is not the first nor will she be the last famous parent to pick a weird name for their child. The newest odd name comes from musician Grimes and Tesla founder Elon Musk and it definitely made the list.
We decided to take a look at some other celebrity baby names that prove parents aren’t afraid to take the road less traveled. Some of these names might appeal to you and even inspire you to choose an unconventional name for your child. Others might make you ask yourself, What were they thinking? Either way, it’s always entertaining to consider the lives of the wealthy individuals and the circumstances that propelled them to pick oddball names. Here are 20 unusual celebrity baby names that are keeping it weird.
20. Apollo Bowie Flynn
Gwen Stefani and ex Gavin Rossdale share Apollo Bowie Flynn who was born in 2014. Apollo was a sun god in Greek mythology. David Bowie’s “Starman” also concerned itself with celestial beings. Stefani and Rossdale were definitely not afraid to “let all the children boogie” when they chose this rockstar moniker.
19. Apple
Gwyneth Paltrow and ex Chris Martin share a 16-year-old daughter, Apple. Paltrow’s Apple doesn’t fall from her tree as the pair look so incredibly alike. Apple is a fun and fruity name and it caused a stir in the early 2000s when Paltrow and Martin chose the name.
18. Banjo
Australian actor Rachel Griffiths named her son Banjo Patrick, which was a choice. While banjo, the name of an instrument closely associated with American folk music, might not spring to mind as a name for an Aussie child, we think Banjo is pulling it off.
17. Bear Blue
Actor Alicia Silverstone has a child named Bear Blue. The name is appropriate because Silverstone is an animal advocate and a member of the animal rights organization PETA. Bear is a cute name and we think it works extremely well.
16. Blue Angel
U2’s ‘The Edge’ or David Howell Evans named his daughter Blue Angel in 1989. What exactly is a blue angel? We’re not sure, but Blue is an intriguing name and a bold choice for a little girl.
15. Buddy Bear
Celebrity Chef Jamie Oliver has given all of his children over the top names. One of the best is Buddy Bear. The jury is out on whether Buddy is an appropriate name for a child. But, the name certainly sounds amicable.
14. Dweezil
The hospital refused to put the name Dweezil on Frank Zappa’s son’s birth register. Frank chose random musician friends’ first names and officially named his son Ian Donald Calvin Euclid Zappa. Later, the musician legally had his son’s name changed to what he was called at home, Dweezil.
13. Elsie Otter
Zooey Deschanel gave her daughter a reasonably conventional first name, Elsie and then, went a little weird with the middle name, Otter. Elsie Otter was born in 2015. When asked about the name, Deschanel said, “I love otters.”
12. Exton
On the “Tonight Show with Jay Leno” in 2012, Robert Downey Jr. explained the name meaning, for his son Exton: “My wife’s great uncle was kind of eccentric. He lives in Madison, Wisconsin. When he was in the fourth grade he realized he didn’t have a middle name, so he changed his name [to include Exton].” Okay!
11. Gio Grace
Adam Levine and Behati Prinsloo welcomed their daughter, Gio Grace in 2018. There was some confusion over the name after some outlets erroneously reported the baby’s name was Geo Grace.
10. Kal-El
Nicolas Cage and Alice Kim named their son a comic book name, Kal-El. It was the name given to Superman at birth. Talk about high expectations?
9. Lazer Lee Louis Pentz
Diplo and Kathryn Lockhart named their child Lazer Lee Louis Pentz, as one does… Little Lazer was born in 2014, a much simpler time for complicated baby names.
8. Raddix
Benji Madden and Cameron Diaz welcomed their daughter, Raddix, in December. Her full name is actually Raddix Chloe Wildflower Madden which is a mouthful. At least she’ll have options for what she’ll want to be called later in life.
7. Reign Beau
Actor of stage and screen Ving Rhames named his daughter Reign Beau when she was born in 2000. This creative name allows you to name a child Rainbow without actually naming them Rainbow.
6. Slash Electric
Amber Rose named her child after the Guns N’ Roses lead guitarist, Slash Electric. Slash Electric sounds like the name of a little rockstar.
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5. Sparrow James Midnight
Joel Madden and Nicole Richie named their son Sparrow James Midnight when he was born in 2009. Sparrow is Raddix’s older cousin. Read that last sentence again.
4. Sunday Molly
Mike Myers and Kelly Tisdale named their daughter Sunday Molly. In an appearance on The Late Show with David Letterman, Myers explained his reasoning for the name: “Sunday is because me and my wife Kelly hate Sundays — I’m not even kidding — and we wanted to turn it around and make it a good thing.”
3. Tu Morrow
Northern Exposure actor, Mike Morrow named his child Tu so that her name would be Tu Morrow. We love a parent with a sense of humor.
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2. X Æ A-Xii
Grimes and Elon Musk share a human child they initially named: “X Æ A-12.” Then, they decided to change the name to “X Æ A-Xii.” The name is pronounced “ex eye” according to Grimes and the name change was a result of California law. Grimes also responded to a fan about the name change on Instagram writing, “Roman numerals. Looks better tbh.”
1. Zolten Penn
Penn Jillette and Emily Zolten named their son Zolten Penn. This unusual Hungarian and Turkish name means “ruler” or “sultan.” It’s essentially a combination of both parents’ names. Their other child also has a fun name: Moxie CrimeFighter.