Best Celebrity Baby Names of All Time
Stars are notorious for picking outlandish names, but who actually gave their babies some cool ones? We love these choices because they're meaningful, inspiring -- or just plain cute.
By Sarah Yang for TheBump.com
Louis Bardo (Sandra Bullock)
Louis Bardo's name combines the best of both of his little worlds. Louis shares a name with Louis Armstrong, and they even share a birthplace -- New Orleans! Louis's German middle name goes with adoptive mom Sandra's roots (her mom was German). Bardo was the name of an obscure German saint and means "water." Jennifer Moss, founder and CEO of BabyNames.com, says names like Louis that are no-fuss are perfect. "Make your child's name easy to pronounce and easy to spell," she says. "Definitely shy away from unique spellings of popular names. Your child is going to have to spell it out for people his whole life."
The craziest celeb baby names ever!
Gideon Scott and Harper Grace (Neil Patrick Harris and David Burtka)
Okay, we're obsessed with the fact that Neil Patrick Harris and partner David Burtka's nine-month-old twins' names are steeped in literary history. Gideon's name comes from the Bible. "Biblical names have been really hot for boys," says Moss. "Plus, it's easy to spell, but it's not so common, so there won't be five boys in his class with the same name." The name Harper (for girls!) is definitely hot right now, with a huge celeb following that includes David and Victoria Beckham (Harper Seven), Dave Grohl of the Foo Fighters (Harper Willow) and Tiffani Thiessen (Harper Renn). It may be inspired by Harper Lee, the author of To Kill A Mockingbird.
Flynn Christopher (Miranda Kerr and Orlando Bloom)
How's this for sweet? Supermodel Miranda Kerr named her baby boy after her late ex -- and hubby Orlando Bloom was all for it! Yup, Flynn's middle name is a tribute to Miranda's high school sweetheart, who died in a car accident as a teen. Naming your kid after your ex may be pretty unusual, but Moss says, "As long as both parents agree, then it doesn't hurt. I think it's a great way to honor somebody." Flynn is also such a fun old Hollywood name (think of classic movie star Errol Flynn). It's fitting for the baby of two superstar parents!
Willow Sage (Pink and Carey Hart)
We're all for singer Pink and her motorcycle and off-road racer hubby choosing a calm name for their baby girl. With their adventurous lifestyles, Willow will definitely mellow them out! The willow is Pink's favorite tree and is the most flexible in nature, while sage is cleansing. So when you put all the elements together, Pink's two-month-old's name has the meaning of flexible cleansing "heart." Moss is a big fan of nature names as long as they're not outlandish: "People know how to spell it and it's easy to pronounce. You also have to think of the rhythm of the name and how it fits with the surname."
Aviana Olea (Amy Adams and Darren Le Gallo)
We think actress Amy Adams and her fiancé Darren Le Gallo, struck gold with Aviana. The inspiration? Amy's birthplace of Aviano, Italy. And honestly, we love that the name is unique and exotic without trying too hard (e.g., Bronx Mowgli Wentz, Kal-El Coppola). We're thankful for celebs that know their limits.
Knox Leon and Vivienne Marcheline (Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt)
The names Maddox, Pax, Zahara and Shiloh are tough acts to follow. And when you're Brad and Angelina, there's even more pressure when it comes to naming -- it's front-page news! The couple chose to go back to their family roots for this twosome. Knox is the middle name of Brad's grandfather, and Leon is the name of Angelina's great-great-grandfather. Vivienne is the French form of Vivian -- a nod to the twins' birthplace of France. Vivienne's middle name, Marcheline, is a tribute to Angelina's beloved late mother. Iconic names for iconic babies -- kudos to Brangelina!
Top 10 TV character baby names
Krishna Thea (Padma Lakshmi and Adam Dell)
Naming your child after a deity isn't such a bad way to welcome her to the world. Padma gave her baby daughter the name Krishna, a central figure in Hinduism and a reference to mom's Indian heritage. It's the perfect moniker for Padma's little princess.
Levi Alves (Camila Alves and Matthew McConaughey)
We don't know about you, but sometimes when people name kids after parents and grandparents it gets confusing with all the "juniors" and "the thirds." That's why we love that Matthew and Camila didn't go with Matthew Jr. Instead they went with Levi, another name for Matthew in the Bible. Also, it works out perfectly that Levi was born at 6:22 p.m. and the actor's favorite Bible verse in the book of Matthew is 6:22.
Harlow Winter Kate (Nicole Richie and Joel Madden)
She's no baby anymore, but Harlow still makes us go "aww." The cute (and super stylish) tot got her classic name from both parents -- Joel is a fan of 1920s actress Jean Harlow, while Nicole likes the model Shalom Harlow. "Harlow evokes old Hollywood but it's not teasable," says Moss. "Also, Winter is unique, and because it's a noun it doesn't have a bad connotation." Nicole and Joel were on fire with this name selection (their other kid, Sparrow -- we're still on the fence about that one).
Sadie Grace (Christina Applegate and Martyn LeNoble)
Sadie Grace is such a sweet name for a little girl. Christina and fiancé Martyn chose to go girly for their first born - and we're all for it! With all these unisex names like Taylor, Jordan and Casey, it's refreshing to see a feminine name take over. No doubt, Sadie's a sweetheart to both mom and dad -- Christina, who battled breast cancer in 2008, has said in past interviews that her new baby girl has "healed" her.
Photo: Siri Stafford
© 2011 The Knot Inc. All rights reserved.
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