Unique Celebrity Baby Names

What Hollywood's Actors and Musicians are Naming Their Babies

Jul 7, 2009

Unusual Celebrity Baby Names Inspire New Parents, Benjamin Earwicker Photo

Wondering what baby names are favored in Hollywood? Celebrity baby names often spur baby naming trends among expecting parents.

Unusual celebrity baby names are becoming increasingly common and many expecting parents are following Hollywood's lead, picking unique names for their babies.

Unique Celebrity Baby Names

Wondering what name that favorite actor, actress or musician picked for their child? Here's a look at a few unusual baby names selected by Hollywood's celebrities.

Actors Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise have a daughter named Suri.
No Doubt's Gwen Stefani and Bush's Gavin Rossdale have two sons named Kingston James and Zuma Nesta Rock.
Actors Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick have twin daughters named Tabitha Hodge and Marion Loretta Elwell.
Musician Keith Urban and Actress Nicole Kidman have a daughter named Sunday Rose.
Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin have a daughter named Apple Blythe Alison.
Madonna has a daughter named Lourdes Maria; she also birthed a son, Rocco, with director Guy Ritchie.
Actress Jennifer Connelly and photographer David Dugan have a son Kai; Connelly and actor Paul Bettany have a second son named Stellan.
Actress Nicole Richie and Good Charlotte's Joel Madden have a daughter named Harlow Winter Kate.
Actor Adam Sandler has a daughter named Sunny Madeline.
Blink 182's Travis Barker and Miss USA of 1995 Shanna Moakler have a daughter named Alabama Luella.
Actors Casey Affleck and Summer Phoenix have a son named Indiana August.
Actors Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner have a daughter named Seraphina Rose Elizabeth.
Actress Julia Roberts and husband Daniel Moder have twins named Phinnaeus Walter and Hazel Patricia.
Actors Courtney Cox and David Arquette have a daughter named Coco.
Former Spice Girl Geri Haliwell and director/screenwriter Sacha Gervasi have a daughter named Bluebell Madonna.
Michael Jackson has two sons named Prince Michael Jackson I and Prince Michael Jackson II (better known as "Blanket") and a daughter named Paris Michael Katherine.

How Celebrities Picked Their Baby Names

For many celebrities who have chosen a unique baby name, there's a story behind their child's name.

Musicians and avid Bob Marley fans Gavin Rossdale and Gwen Stefani chose "Kingston" as it's Bob Marley's hometown in Jamaica. Their second son's very unique name – Zuma Nesta Rock – is believed to be derived from California's Zuma Beach, which holds its place in musical history as the inspiration for Neil Young's album of the same name. "Nesta" was Bob Marley's middle name. And according to People Magazine's Celebrity Baby Blog, it's believed "Rock" is a reference to Rock Steady – the name of No Doubt's third album, which was "primarily recorded in Jamaica and featured a reggae-heavy sound."

In Gwyneth Paltrow's case, she told The Oprah Winfrey Show that Apple's name "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 and ... clean." And like many mothers, Paltrow also honored a family member with her child's middle name: Blythe, after Paltrow's mother, actress Blythe Danner.

Actors Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick also selected family names when they named their twin girls – Tabitha Hodge and Marion Loretta Elwell. The girls were born to a surrogate mother on June 22, 2009.

Inspiration from Celebrity Baby Names

To get that perfect and unique baby name with a Hollywood undertone, expecting parents can look to celebrity baby names, their derivatives and related monikers.

Expecting parents might follow Nicole Richie's lead by selecting a famous last name as a baby name. Parents who like "Harlow" may also like classic Hollywood names like Deitrich, Astaire or Hayworth.

Parents-to-be could also select a state or city as a baby name. Parents who like "Kingston," "Paris," "Alabama," "Ireland" and "Indiana" may also like "Florida," "Tennessee," "Hampshire," "Britain," or "Carolina."

Celebrity baby names themselves can also serve as a basis for a unique baby name. Paltrow's "Apple" might inspire other plant-related names like "Clementine," "Peach," "Azalea," or "Sage," while Richie's daughter's middle name of "Winter" could inspire other seasonal names like "Summer," Autumn," or "Spring."

Personal Inspiration for a Unique Baby Name

Looking for a unique or unusual baby name? There are entire books and websites dedicated to the topic of unique baby names, but some of the most unusual names for babies come from something meaningful in the parent's life.

Consider some of the following sources of inspiration for an unusual baby name:

A meaningful location
A favorite object
Biblical names
Mythological names
Family names
Celebrity names
Names from literature
Names from films or plays

Celebrity Baby Culture

Celebrity babies are a relatively new but very intense focus in the realm of pop culture. In fact, some celebrities' children have become as well-known as their famous parents.

Catering to the public's fascination with the celebrity baby, People Magazine has started a Celebrity Baby Blog, featuring the latest celebrity baby news, photos, and information on what clothes celebrity babies are wearing, what baby products are popular among the Hollywood elite and even what parenting methods the stars are using.