These Celebrities Gave Their Kids Animal Baby Names
Animal names for babies are a trend that’s been catching on like wildfire for the last few years — and it doesn’t look like that trend is going anywhere soon. Especially since it seems to be one that’s loved by celebs, who are naming their A-list offspring animal baby names that pay homage to our fur- and feather-covered friends. Bear! Wolf! Birdie!
If you think about it, it’s easy to understand why people love animal names for babies. First of all, everyone has a strong mental association when we hear an animal name; Wren is delicate and cheery, Otter is playful and resourceful, Wolf is the strong, tough leader of the pack.
Secondly, they have the distinct advantage of being unique names that are also easy to spell and pronounce, which can be rare. Many unique names are super cool, but doom the bearer to a lifetime of correcting people (looking at you, Joaquin and Saoirse). Animal baby names are not mainstream enough that your kid will have a Bear in every class, but they’re also widely recognizable enough that most people (English speakers, anyway) will have no trouble saying or spelling them. Truly the baby-naming sweet spot!
Below, check out which celebrities gave their children animal baby names!
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Shawn Johnson & Andrew East: Barrett “Bear” Madison
Shawn Johnson and Andrew East named their third child Barrett “Bear” Madison.
“Barrett ‘Bear’ Madison East…@bearmadisoneast,” the Olympian announced on Instagram in Dec. 2023. “We’ve all been waiting for you ??.”
Chrissy Teigen & John Legend: Wren Alexander
Chrissy Teigen and John Legend named their first three children Luna, Miles, and Esti, but they gave their fourthborn son an animal name: Wren!
“Just minutes before midnight on June 19th, I got to witness the most beautiful woman, my friend, our surrogate, give birth amidst a bit of chaos, but with strength and pure joy and love,” Teigen wrote on Instagram. “We want to say thank you for this incredible gift you have given us, Alexandra. And we are so happy to tell the world he is here, with a name forever connected to you, Wren Alexander Stephens.” So sweet!
Paris Hilton: Phoenix Barron
Paris Hilton and husband Carter Reum named their firstborn son Phoenix, which is a name of a bird in Greek mythology that builds itself up from its ashes.
The couple are also parents to a daughter named London.
Kylie Jenner & Travis Scott: Aire, formerly Wolf
Kylie Jenner and Travis Scott welcomed their baby boy Wolf on a fortuitous-sounding date: 2/22/22. Like older sister Stormi, little Wolf doesn’t have a middle name. However, 16 months later, the Kylie Cosmetics founder legally changed his name to Aire.
In an episode of The Kardashians, Jenner opened up about her decision to change his name. “I just always wanted a name for him that had meaning. I like it and [Aire] is a Hebrew name [that means] lion of God,” she said. So technically, he is still named after an animal (just a lion instead of a wolf).
Kate Winslet: Bear Blaze
Kate Winslet’s two older children are named Mia and Joe — but for her third, with husband Ned Rocknroll, she wanted something a little different: Bear Blaze.
“A friend of mine when I was younger was nicknamed Bear, and I just had always really loved it,” she told Ellen DeGeneres while a guest on her show.
Busy Phillipps: Birdie Leigh & Cricket Pearl
Busy Phillipps and ex-husband Marc Silverstein let nature inspire the names of both of their children: Birdie and Cricket.
Now a teen, Birdie has come out to their parents as gay and nonbinary, and Busy has spoken openly on her podcast, Busy Philipps Is Doing Her Best, about embracing her child’s identity and choice of they/them pronouns. “I want Birdie to be in control of their own narrative,” she said.
Nicole Richie & Joel Madden: Sparrow James Midnight
The youngest child of Nicole Richie and Joel Madden also bears a bird-inspired name! The pair hasn’t spoken publicly about why they chose the name Sparrow — and proud grandpa Lionel Richie, Nicole’s dad, told Glamour UK he has “no idea”. But we think it goes so perfectly with his sister’s name: Harlow Winter Kate.
Jessica Simpson: Birdie Mae
After what she called “the pregnancy from hell,” Jessica Simpson gave birth to her youngest daughter with husband Eric Johnson in March 2019. Joining her siblings Maxwell and Ace, little Birdie Mae entered this world via C-section. But despite the name Birdie evoking images of a delicate and chirpy little thing, Jessica often talks about her daughter’s strong personality.
“Little Miss Birdie is the BOSS,” she says.
Eve: Wilde Wolf Fife Alexander Somers
Rapper Eve and husband Maximilion Cooper welcomed their first son Wilde Wolf in February 2022, with Eve calling him a long-awaited blessing. His five-name moniker is quite a mouthful (six if you count his surname, Cooper!) but dad Maximilion may have had a hand in that; his four older children are uniquely named Lotus, Jagger, Cash, and Mini.
Erykah Badu: Puma Sabti
We’re not surprised that Erykah Badu and her partner, rapper The D.O.C., gave their daughter a fierce and funky name like Puma. Now a teenager, Puma is coming into her own right as a style icon and has proven that she has a set of pipes like her famous mama’s. Her unique name is a perfect fit.
Jason Momoa & Lisa Bonet: Nakoa-Wolf Manakauapo Namakaeha
Say that five times fast! Jason Momoa and Lisa Bonet had always known they wanted to name their son Nakoa-Wolf; “Nakoa” means warrior, and wolf is, well, self-explanatory. As for his other two middle names, inspiration came from his birth: he was born on a dark and rainy night, so “Mana” — meaning strength and spirit — was combined with “Kaua,” meaning rain, and “Po,” meaning dark.
The Namakaeha part comes from Dad — it’s Momoa’s Hawaiian given name, which means “all knowing eyes.”
Alicia Silverstone: Bear Blu
Alicia Silverstone and husband Christopher Jarecki welcomed their first child, Bear Blu, in May of 2011. As for his name, Alicia told Us Weekly that they couldn’t narrow it down between two of their favorites — Bear or Blu, both suggested by Jarecki’s mom — so they chose both!
Zooey Deschanel: Elsie Otter & Charlie Wolf
Zooey Deschanel and former husband Jacob Pechenik are the parents of not one, but two kiddos with animal-inspired names! Daughter Elsie Otter came first, followed by son Charlie Wolf.
In an interview with Today, Zooey weighed in on how they came up with Elsie’s unconvential middle name. “[W]e both love otters — they’re very sweet and they’re also smart. They use tools . . . they hold hands while they sleep, there’s so many amazing things about otters. They’re wonderful animals,” she said.
Lauren Conrad: Charlie Wolf
Lauren Conrad caught some heat for allegedly “copying” her son’s name, Charlie Wolf (with husband William Tell), from Zooey Deschanel, whose son bears the same name. But both Lauren and Zooey have laughed it off as pure coincidence.
“They’re just both family names,” Lauren told Us Weekly. “Charlie, or Charles, is a family name and a name that my husband and I both really like, and then Wolf actually comes from his side. I found it on a really old trunk at his grandmother’s house and she was like, ‘Oh, yeah. We had a bunch of wolves in our family,’ so it kind of stuck with me and I just liked it.”
Macklemore: Colette Koala
The second child of Macklemore (real name Ben Haggerty) and wife Tricia Davis, Colette Koala was born in March 2018. The notoriously private duo have not revealed the story behind their daughter’s animal-inspired name, but everybody knows koalas are adorable — and so is little Colette!
Liam Payne: Bear Grey
Alicia Silverstone has Bear Blu, and Liam Payne has Bear Grey! On his son’s name, chosen by former partner Cheryl Tweedy, Liam has said he wasn’t on board with it at first. But then, he told Total Access, he warmed up to it: “I wanted a more traditional name and she wanted a name that was more unusual. And the reason she chose Bear in the end was because Bear is a name that when you leave a room, you won’t forget. And I like that.”
Benji Madden & Cameron Diaz: Cardinal
On March 22, Benji Madden and Cameron Diaz revealed the news that they welcomed a son, named Cardinal into their now family of four.
They shared the news on Instagram, saying, “We are blessed and excited to announce the birth of our Son, Cardinal Madden????He is awesome and We are all so happy he is here! For the kids safety and privacy we won’t be posting any pictures- but he’s a really cute ??We are feeling so blessed and grateful ??Sending much love from our fam to yours ????Best wishes and Good Afternoon!! ????”
They also share a daughter named Raddix.
Kelly Kay & Spencer Webb: Spider
Kelly Kay, the girlfriend of late Oregon football star Spencer Webb, recently welcomed their son and, to honor her late boyfriend, she gave their son his nickname in college: Spider, per People.
Katy Perry & Orlando Bloom: Daisy Dove
Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom named their daughter Daisy Dove, and she explained why while talking to Jimmy Kimmel via People.
“Daisy, to me, means purity, and Dove means peace and Bloom feels like it means joy,” she said. “So it’s very, ‘Pure, peace and joy.’ “
Jamie & Jools Oliver: Buddy Bear Maurice
Did you know Jamie and Jools Oliver named their son Buddy Bear Maurice?
They have five children together named Poppy Honey Rosie, Daisy Boo Pamela, Petal Blossom Rainbow, Buddy Bear Maurice, and River Rocket Blue Dallas; so they’re no strangers to unique names.
Joey McIntyre & Barrett Williams: Griffin Thomas McIntyre
Actor and singer Joey McIntyre and his wife Barrett Williams have a son named Griffin Thomas McIntyre. We know it’s a mythical animal, but we’re counting it!
Amy Lee: Jack Lion Hartzler
Evanescence’s Amy Lee and her husband Josh Hartzler’s son’s name is actually Jack Lion Hartzler.
Jonathan Rhys Meyers: Wolf Rhys Meyers
Jonathan Rhys Meyers and his wife Mara Lane’s son is named Wolf Rhys Meyers. Wolf is seemingly a popular name with celebrity parents!
Kelis & Mike Mora: Shepherd Raven
Kelis and her late husband Mike Mora welcomed a daughter named Shepherd Raven on Sept 2020, and seriously, we love her unique name!
Kelis has three children total, named Knight, Shepherd, and Galilee.
Bryan Adams: Mirabella Bunny
Did you know Bryan Adams has two daughters named Mirabella Bunny and Lula RosyLea Grimaldi? Bunny! How sweet, and one we don’t see often.
Alessandra Ambrosio: Noah Phoenix Ambrosio Mazur
Along with Paris Hilton, Alessandra Ambrosio named one of her children Phoenix. Well, it’s there middle name at least. Her son’s full name is Noah Phoenix Ambrosio Mazur!
Evan Bass & Carly Waddell: Charles Wolfe
Yes, another version of Charlie Wolfe! Evan Bass and Carly Waddell named their son Charles Wolfe, further continuing the mystery of why celebs name their kids the same moniker.
