If you’re expecting a baby and are stumped by what to name the blessed arrival, look no further than your shoe closet. Hey, it worked for neo-soul singer Erykah Badu, who gave birth July 5 to a baby girl she named Puma.
Less than two weeks after lil’ Puma got a running start into the world came Beckett Finn, son of Dixie Chicks singer Natalie Maines. Beckett joins older brother Slade in the seemingly endless roll call of nontraditional–even strange–celebrity-kid names.
Although one might think the well from which the rich and famous fish for unusual baby names might run dry one of these days, it just never does.
Courteney Cox Arquette and David Arquette this summer named their long-awaited bundle of joy Coco, reportedly after the first two letters of Mommy’s first and maiden names.
But whether it’s Slade or Sam, names can have an effect on children, says Nancy Irwin, a California therapeutic hypnotist and expert in psychology.
“Many people take on the labels or names that others give them and live up to, or down to, them,” she says. “Some simply do not. They have a strong personality that can withstand anything and simply laugh at what their parents laid on them.”
Let’s hope little Apple Martin has a tough core and can chuckle years from now at her name, hand-picked by her parents, Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin.
Since Apple blossomed in May, curious minds have speculated as to how the name came about, with one theory holding it stemmed from Paltrow’s love of New York. Others range from Gwyneth’s love for her iPod to Apple falling a few generations from the family tree–it was Gwyneth’s grandmother’s name.
One reason celebs can play by different rules in the name game is that their social environment allows it, Dallas-area pediatrician Vincent Iannelli says.
“While a ‘regular’ child might be teased with a name like Coco or Apple if they lived in a small town or an inner-city neighborhood, the privileged life of a celebrity child will likely not be influenced by what their name is,” he says.
But for those who are thinking of giving their children unique names, Irwin has some advice that could help them later on.
“If you do want to name him or her something trendy or extreme, combine it with a neutral middle name so that the child can choose later to go by that name if preferable,” she says.
Actress Shannyn Sossamon, who starred in the movie “40 Days and 40 Nights,” apparently missed that tip. She opted to get technical with her son’s name, Audio Science … because Audio Visual is so played out.
R&B songstress Toni Braxton has a beautiful voice and a penchant for all things Tiffany & Co. But she could have shopped around a little longer, some might say, for her sons’ names, Denim and Diezel.
“A name, whether it is Jacob or Emily, or something unique or exotic,” Iannelli says, “isn’t going to define the personality of these children.”
Star`-studded baby names
– Jermajesty, son of singer Jermaine Jackson.
– Pilot Inspektor, son of actor Jason Lee.
– Camera, daughter of Jeanne Moutoussamy-Ashe (a photographer) and late tennis player Arthur Ashe.
– Hud and Speck Wildhorse, sons of singer John Mellencamp and model Elaine Irwin.
– Indiana August, son of actor Casey Affleck and Summer Phoenix.
– Kyd, son of actor David Duchovny and actress Tea Leoni.
– Moon Unit, Ahmet Emuukha Rodan, Dweezil and Diva, children of Frank Zappa.
– Fuddy and Trixie, children of actor Damon Wayans.
– Rumer Glenn, Tallulah Belle and Scout LaRue, daughters of Bruce Willis and Demi Moore.
– Heavenly Hiraani Tiger Lily, daughter of late INXS singer Michael Hutchence and Paula Yates.
For more unusual celebrity baby names, visit www.celebnames.8m.com.
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Edited by Cara DiPasquale (cdipasquale@tribune.com) and Victoria Rodriguez (vrodriguez@tribune.com)
