11 Stars Who Dished On The Meaning Behind Their Unique Baby Names

Find out the special meaning of these celebrity baby names…

1. Paris Hilton & Carter Reum — Phoenix Barron

Paris Hilton recently surprised fans when she welcomed her son Phoenix. The little boy’s name was a decade in the making, with Paris explaining that she had been brainstorming location-themed names for a long time. On top of that, Paris said she loved the other meanings of Phoenix.

“Phoenix has a few good pop culture reference points, but more importantly it’s the bird that flames out and then rises from the ashes to fly again. I want my son to grow up knowing that disaster and triumph go around and come around throughout our lives. And that this should give us great hope for the future,” Paris said on her podcast “This Is Paris.”

2. Elon Musk & Grimes — X Æ A-12

Elon Musk and Grimes came up with an unusual name for their first child together — but it turned out to be very meaningful to the former couple. Grimes explained that each part of their son X Æ A-12’s name had a special significance to them.

“X, the unknown variable,” Grimes wrote, adding, “Æ, my elven spelling of Ai (love &/or Artificial intelligence). A-12 = precursor to SR-17 (our favorite aircraft). No weapons, no defenses, just speed. Great in battle, but non-violent + A=Archangel, my favorite song.”

3. Gwyneth Paltrow & Chris Martin — Apple Blythe

Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin may have started the trend of unusual baby names with their daughter Apple. At the time, Gwyneth admitted she was surprised about the controversy surrounding the name as it sounded so sweet to her.

“When we were first pregnant, her daddy said, ‘If it’s a girl I think her name should be Apple.’ It sounded so sweet, and it conjured such a lovely picture for me, you know. Apples are so sweet and they’re wholesome and it’s biblical, and I just thought it sounded so lovely,” she said on “The Oprah Winfrey Show.”

4. Kim Kardashian & Kanye West — North

Kim Kardashian and Kanye West have chosen unique names for all of their children, starting with their daughter North. When she was born, many questioned their decision to name the little girl after a direction, but Kim’s mother Kris Jenner says there’s more meaning to it.

“The way she explained it to me was North means the highest power. [Kim] says that North is their highest point together,” Kris said during an appearance on “The View.”

5. Emma Roberts & Garrett Hedlund — Rhodes Robert

Before Emma Roberts and ex Garrett Hedlund’s baby was born, the couple was sure it would be a girl. Emma told Garrett that if it was a boy, he could name him — so when the little boy arrived, Emma was surprised but followed through on her promise. Garrett says he chose Rhodes partially because of the connection to his late father.

“I don’t know, I wanted it to be something slightly metaphorical. I love traveling. I love road trips. I thought there was something wonderful within the journey and anticipation and always holding on to your wonderment about something. My father, before he passed away, we had a three-week road trip and so it was roads. And my grandfather and I used to go on rowing trips, so ‘Row’ for short and then Emma and I are avid readers, so Rhodes scholar, but really it’s just rodeo,” Garrett shared on “Today.”

6. Jeannie Mai Jenkins & Jeezy — Monaco

While Jeannie Mai Jenkins and her husband Jeezy originally planned to give their daughter a name starting with the letter J, it was another name that truly inspired them. They decided to name the little girl after Monaco, France, because it was a trip there that “established what was going on for” the couple.

“Three years ago, Jeezy and Jeannie were talking on a bridge in France, talking about what it meant to do life together. Here they decided to grow and raise a family together. Hence, they named their child after the city that changed their lives forever,” Jeannie’s “The Real” co-host Adrienne Bailon explained.

7. David & Victoria Beckham — Harper Seven

While David and Victoria’s daughter Harper may have a more common first name, her middle name has always stood out as more unusual. David says that both names actually have special meanings for the couple.

‘Harper is an old English name, which we love. One of the reasons is Victoria’s favorite book is ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ and the author was Harper Lee. [Seven] symbolizes spiritual perfection. In many cultures around the world, it’s regarded as a lucky number,” David shared on Facebook.

8. Busy Philipps & Marc Silverstein — Cricket Pearl

Busy Philipps’ husband, Marc Silverstein, was the one to come up with their youngest daughter’s name. The couple had brainstormed some names before her birth, but once she was born, they no longer felt like they fit. When it came time to finally put a name on her birth certificate, Marc came up with something he hoped would encompass who she would become.

“A lot of times your name dictates the kind of personality you have and [Marc’s] like, ‘Everyone likes Cricket, Cricket is just the greatest, happiest kid on the block, the coolest camp counselor, she’s hot in college.’ He just had this whole narrative for what that name was,” Busy told People.

9. Nicolas Cage & Alice Kim – Kal-El

Nicolas Cage and his ex-wife Alice Kim chose a powerful name when their son was born. The little boy was named after Superman, as Kal-El was the name the hero was given at birth.

“Alice and I wanted to have a name that was exotic and American, and which stood for something good, because our son is exotic and he’s American, and we both think he’s good. But having said that, I always liked the sound of the name. It has kind of a magical ring to it: Abracadabra Kal-El Shazam!” Nicolas told People.

10. Robert Downey Jr. & Susan Downey — Exton Elias

In 2012, Robert Downey Jr. and his wife Susan welcomed their son Exton. While some figured it might be a name based on a place like Robert’s older son Indio, that wasn’t the case. Robert explained that Exton was named after his wife’s great-uncle.

“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],” Robert shared “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.”

11. Ed Sheeran & Cherry Seaborn — Lyra Antarctica

When Ed Sheeran and his wife Cherry welcomed their first daughter, they wanted to give her an unusual name. He explained that since Cherry has such a unique name, they wanted to pass that on to their children too.

“I realize some people think it’s quite a strange name…[We] just wanted to give her a name that was unique, so that she would be the only one,” Ed said on “Lorraine,” adding that her middle name was inspired by a trip the couple took to Antarctica, calling it “most amazing place on earth.”