Baby Name Announcements Worth the Wait: Violet, Luna, and Angelo
By Abby Sandel, Appellation Mountain
Imagine you’re famous.
And expecting.
Whether you’re an Oscar-nominated actress or a reality show contestant who was voted out after a few episodes, you have two choices to make when it comes to your child’s name: the name itself, of course, and how to share it with the world.
Or make that if you’ll share it with the world. Plenty of celebrities Tweet or Instagram their good news, or announce it through a publicist. But then there are those who just don’t share.
Sometimes the name slips out. Beyonce and Jay-Z’s baby name was famously shared by Gwyneth Paltrow on Twitter. Other parents wait for reporters to unearth the official birth records, or casually mention the name in an interview months later.
It isn’t clear which approach Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds will take. The famous couple managed to keep their daughter’s late December 2014 arrival under wraps for at least a few days.
Let’s take a look at other high profile parents who kept their baby names quiet.
Casper Alice – We gave Jason Lee such a hard time for naming his firstborn Pilot Inspektor – the name still regularly tops lists of crazy celebrity baby names. Lee and fellow actor Beth Riesgraf named their son from a song lyric. No wonder Jason and new wife Ceren Alkac didn’t share any news when they welcomed their daughter in 2008. We eventually learned that they’d named her Casper, and her middle name is usually reported as Alice. After the blogosphere gave Casper’s name two thumbs up, the couple quietly released the news when their son Sonny arrived in 2012.
Elula Lottie Miriam – Isla Fisher and Sacha Baron Cohen were among the first daring namers to revive Olive, the name they gave to their daughter back in 2007. Then came a second baby in 2010 – and absolutely no news about her name whatsoever! Over six months later, we learned that their daughter was Elula Lottie Miriam. Now the couple is expecting a third child, but chances are good that we won’t learn his or her name for months – if ever!
Aleph – In just over a year, Natalie Portman won an Academy Award for her performance in Black Swan, announced her engagement to choreographer Benjamin Millepied, and welcomed her first child, a son. While Portman kept quiet about any additional details, it’s long been rumored that the couple named his Aleph, after the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet.
Luna – Uma Thurman made us wait more than six months to learn the name of her youngest, daughter Luna. Make that Rosalind Arusha Arkadina Altalune Florence Thurman-Busson, the super-long name chosen by Thurman and French financier Arpad Busson. Another secret Luna? Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem quietly welcomed their firstborn in 2013. Cruz had an easier time keeping her news hush-hush. Their little Luna shares a birthday with England’s Prince George, so all eyes were on London while Cruz delivered in Madrid.
Charlie and Poppy – In 2012, True Blood was a small screen sensation, and the show’s stars, Stephen Moyer and Anna Paquin, had entered into a real life romance. No wonder fans were curious when the couple announced they were expecting twins. Plus, Moyer has a reputation as a daring namer. He has a daughter named Lilac from a previous relationship. Moyer finally revealed that his twins were a boy and girl, named Charlie and Poppy, in an interview nearly a year after their birth.
Angelo – Songstress Adele welcomed a son in 2012, but declined to share his name. But sharp eyes spotted a necklace favored by the new mom – Angelo, written in gold script. She and partner Simon Konecki have fiercely protected their son’s privacy, suing paparazzi who photographed a family outing. Since then, sources have reported that their son’s full name is Angelo James.
Minnie Ida – Do you watch Late Night with Seth Meyers? Last week, Molly Sims admitted that her husband is searching Nameberry for baby name inspiration for their second child. Maya Rudolph was also on the show – and mentioned that she, too, used Nameberry. Molly is mom to Brooks Alan, while Maya and director Paul Thomas Anderson are the parents of Pearl, Lucille, Jack, and Minnie. The name of the couple’s youngest child was never released, but a year after she was born, Minnie’s birth certificate finally revealed her spunky, retro name – presumably in honor of Maya’s mom, the late singer Minnie Riperton.
Esmeralda – This couple had us guessing! After Ryan Gosling and Eva Mendes welcomed their daughter in September, weeks went by with nothing but speculation about the newborn’s name. Reports said that they called Preciosa, but it seemed like that was a nickname. At last, the Mendes-Gosling birth certificate surfaced, and we learned that her name was Esmeralda Amada.
Violet – Now we’re playing the waiting game again, this time with Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds’ new arrival. Last week a Tweet, possibly from a hospital employee, indicated that the baby was named Violet. The Tweet was swiftly deleted, along with the entire account – which tends to support the idea that a loose-lipped employee let the name slip. Reynolds had said that the couple wouldn’t be choosing anything too out there, so Violet tracks. But is this the real name, or will it prove to be a little more than a rumor?
Did you announce your baby’s name on Twitter or Instagram? If you were famous, do you think you’d tell the world – or try to keep it under wraps for as long as possible?