Naming your baby is one of the hardest things you'll do, and while we've cringed at many a Hollywood moniker, some celebrity baby names are actually amazing. Here are the ones we love...
Photo: iStock Photo
Calling all soon-to-be parents who have no idea what to name their newborn—these stars have you covered. Before you write off celebrity baby names all together (yes, we've all cringed at more than a few), read through this list of monikers that are just the right kind of unusual.
Arlo Day: Daughter of Leighton Meester and Adam Brody Gossip girl here, and I've got eyes on a set of former The OC castmates whose talents don't end on the small screen—this couple sure knows how to name a baby! What we all want to know is how the match-made-in-teenage-TV-heaven parents chose this moniker for their daughter. It's no surprise that B and S have similar taste in baby names—Leighton's Gossip Girl co-star, Blake Lively, also flipped the script by giving her baby girl James a traditionally male name.
Hayes: Son of Jessica Alba and Cash Warren The busy mom of three and founder of The Honest Company does not stop. In fact, she celebrated her New Year's Eve in 2017... while in labour with Hayes! #momgoals. When naming her children, Jessica and husband Cash follow a few guidelines—the name has to begin with the letter H and be a word that's different but not too weird. So Hayes was the perfect companion for his two older siblings, Honor and Haven.
Briar Rose: Daughter of Rachel Bilson and Hayden Christensen Who knew that Rachel Bilson is such a Disney fan? The actress named her daughter after one of the beloved princesses—Sleeping Beauty. While Disney's dozing royal was called Princess Aurora, her name in the original 1812 Grimm Brothers folk tale is Briar Rose, hence Rachel and Hayden's choice. Briar is English in origin and means "thorned shrub," like a rosebush! How pretty. If only naming your daughter after sleeping beauty guaranteed she would sleep well...
Marlowe: Daughter of Eva Amurri and Kyle Martino Eva and her husband Kyle have picked "M" names for their adorable kids Marlowe and Major. The English name, which means "from the hill by the lake," was actually one Eva had picked out a decade ago when she discovered it in a magazine. "I loved the spelling: M-A-R-L-O-W-E, and the fact that I didn’t know one person with the name," she wrote in a blog post. I loved that it was pretty but also strong." We couldn't agree more.
Birdie Leigh: Daughter of Busy Philipps and Marc Silverstein Busy and Marc are known for their unique baby names, Birdie Leigh and Cricket Pearl, which they chose for a specific reason. "Since I grew up with a nickname—Busy being short for Elizabeth—when my husband and I started to have our babies, we decided that if we wanted to call our kids something, we would just name them that thing," she told TODAY. We're also particularly into the fact that Birdie was named after the late First Lady Bird Johnson. Talk about a strong name for a little lady.
Harlow Winter Kate: Daughter of Nicole Richie and Joel Madden This badass couple gave their babies some striking names. Joel has said that firstborn Harlow's name was drawn from two inspiring women—1930s actress Jean Harlow for him, and supermodel Shalom Harlow for Nicole. Winter, on the other hand, speaks not only to her January birthday but also her "serene and quiet" personality. A big sister to their son, Sparrow, she's her mom's stylish mini-me—and Nicole used her little one's middle names for her fashion line, Winter Kate.
Seraphina Rose: Daughter of Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner If you're looking to inspire a future girl boss, Seraphina could be just the ticket. Derived from the Biblical word "seraphim," which means "fiery ones" and refers to the highest-ranking angels, the moniker's meaning is both powerful and heavenly. Rose, meanwhile, is right in line with the floral theme Ben and Jennifer started with firstborn Violet.
Locklyn: Daughter of Vince Vaughan and Kyla Webber Talk about a unique name! A popular choice for Scottish baby boys, you can totally use Locklyn for your daughter or son, shirking gender norms like so many celebrities do. By changing the traditional ending of the name from 'lan' to 'lyn,' we think Vince and Kyla gave their daughter's name its own pretty, feminine twist.
Aviana: Daughter of Amy Adams and Darren Le Gallo It is a common tradition to pay respect to your parents or grandparents when it comes to naming your first child, but this couple gave the tradition a slight twist. To change things up, Amy and Darren named their daughter after Amy's Italian birthplace, Aviano.
Ashe Olsen: Son of Seth Meyers and Alexi Ashe Okay, grab the tissues...this one could leave you misty eyed. Seth said that two women were the inspiration behind their son's name—Ashe is Alexi's maiden name and Olsen is Seth's mother's maiden name. The late-night host explained that his son's rather feminist name is the best way he could honour what his wife went through during labour (including that she almost gave birth in the back of an Uber!) and how important his own mom is to him. Girl power!
Inez: Daughter of Blake Lively & Ryan Reynolds The beloved duo (seriously, who doesn't adore Blake and Ryan) is very private about their family life, but it turns out they'll speak out when it comes to their little one's name."I had a new baby, Inez, with a ‘z’ even though everyone says it’s with an ‘s.’ I don’t know why, please tell Wikipedia," she joked to People.
Luna: Daughter of Chrissy Teigen and John Legend If you're looking for a name that's out of this world, follow Chrissy Teigen's lead with beautiful Luna. The cookbook author (who also happens to be one of our fave celeb moms) told Ellen DeGeneres that, "There was a blood moon happening [when], it was a really beautiful night...and I have this love for space...and so I thought Luna was perfect." The stars were definitely aligned on this one!
Remington: Son of Kelly Clarkson and Brandon Blackstock Remington has a sweet, all-American twang, doesn't it? Not only does their son share the same first initial as his sister, River, but it has a deeper meaning that matches, too. Kelly told People that inspo for her daughter's name came from their home in Nashville, which is by the river. When naming her baby boy Remington, Kelly kept the theme of home alive with its meaning, "place on a riverbank." Could this be any more perfect?
Story: Daughter of Aaron Paul and Lauren Parsekian Of course there's a story behind Aaron and Lauren's daughter's name! The couple's romance kicked off on a wild night in Las Vegas where they almost got hitched, won $16,000 at a blackjack table and bought their future child a leather jacket. Wow. Aaron told Jimmy Fallon that they think of their daughter as their "little story," hence the name. If your tale is also one for the books, this is probably a good choice for your newborn!
Nahla: Daughter of Halle Berry and Gabriel Aubry This name sounds so refreshing, which isn't suprising as its Arabic meaning is "first drink of water." The couple didn't know what they'd call their little girl until they left the hospital, wanting to meet her first. We'd bet she's a big fan of The Lion King—particularly Simba's best friend and eventual queen, Nala.
Reign Aston: Son of Kourtney Kardashian and Scott Disick Cool-mom Kourtney wasn't going to give her third child just any name. Mason and Penelope's little brother got the most regal moniker of the trio, Reign, which she says was also at the top of her list of favourites (though she considered spelling it Rain for her daughter). But there's more to love about this name! Kourtney also thought about her little one's initials, naming him Reign Aston Disick so that they'd spell RAD. Now how cool is that?
Ryder: Son of Kate Hudson and Chris Robinson Kate has good taste when it comes to names, if her firstborn Ryder Robinson is any indication. The actress has a habit of naming her children after loved ones, hence Ryder's middle name, Russell, for her mom Goldie Hawn's longtime partner, Kurt Russell. We also love the alliteration—Ryder already sounds like he's destined for the spotlight, no?
Jameson: Son of Pink and Carey Hart Pink and her hubby seem like such down-to-earth parents—and they're clever too, especially when it comes to naming their little ones. The singer spilled how their "no-brainer" name for their son played on people and things they love, telling Access Hollywood, "My dad's name is James, and my brother's name is Jason. Carey and I are both Irish, Carey's middle name is Jason, and Jameson—we like whiskey. That's a no brainer." Well played!
Keep up with your baby's development, get the latest parenting content and receive special offers from our partners