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Eligijus Sinkunas

“Mckelteigh And Lintleighmaye”: 58 Times Parents Didn’t Think Straight When Naming Their Kids

Elon Musk Ahmet Ertegun Dweezil Gwyneth Paltrow Apple (Person) Chris Martin Frank Zappa Jamie Oliver Kanye West Kim Kardashian

Remember when kids had normal names? Like Michael, James, Sarah, Michelle or Mark... Nowadays, it seems like new parents aren't just thinking outside the box when it comes to naming their babies, they're burning the box altogether.

Many of us were a little surprised, or even amused, when we found out in 2004 that Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin had called their baby girl Apple. Then Elon Musk came along in 2020 and seemingly said, "hold my beer," as he and Grimes named their son X. Just when we were coming to terms with that, the baby's name was changed to X Æ A-Xii. It's pronounced "X Ash A Twelve," in case you were wondering.

I think it's safe to say we may as well accept that anything goes when it comes to naming babies these days. But that doesn't make some names any less bizarre, hilarious or brutal. Bored Panda has put together some of the most "unique" names that kids are being forced to live with, and many might have you appreciating your own boring moniker.

#1 No Clue Even How You Pronounce This

Many of the names on this list are a breeze compared to X Æ A-12. You'd be forgiven for thinking that Elon Musk's son's name is code for something. And it sort of is.

"First of all, my partner's the one that mostly came up with the name," Musk once revealed on The Joe Rogan Experience podcast. "I mean it's just X, the letter X, and the 'Æ' is pronounced, 'Ash,' and then, A-12 is my contribution."

The billionaire added that A-12 stood for "Archangel 12, the precursor to the SR-71, coolest plane ever."

In case you're wondering, X Æ A-12 is pronounced "X Ash A Twelve." According to CNET, "Æ" is a character used in some languages, including Danish and Norwegian. It's often pronounced "ash," but some people pronounce each letter, saying "A E."

#2 Are They Dogs? Lmao

#3 This Made Me Giggle Almost As Much As “Robin With A Y”

Musk has more than a dozen children with a handful of different women. Three of them, including X Æ A-12, are with singer Grimes. Grimes and Musk also share a daughter called Exa Dark Sideræl (nicknamed Y), and a son, Tau Techno Mechanicus.

When explaining X Æ A-12's name, Grimes tweeted that she called X "the unknown variable," and said that Æ was "my elven spelling of Ai," which she explained as "love and/or artificial intelligence."

The A-12, she said, was "our favorite aircraft," adding that it's "no weapons, no defenses, just speed. Great in battle, but non-violent." According to Grimes, the A in A-12 stood for "Archangel," which she revealed was "my favorite song."

#4 Friend’s Daughter, Pronounced (Honesty)

#5 My Insurance Came From A Woman Called Rafunzel

#6 Lint

X Æ A-12 isn't alone with his rather unique name. There are a string of celebrity babies and kids sporting highly unusual names.

Machine Gun Kelly and Megan Fox’s daughter is called Saga Blade Fox-Baker, while Fox's son with Brian Austin Green is named Journey. Kim Kardashian and Kanye West clearly also don't do "boring" baby names. "The names Saint and Chicago were reportedly Kardashian’s idea, as a tribute to West’s roots," reports Vogue. "Kris Jenner championed the name Psalm—and North, well, that moniker originated from a joke by Jay Leno."

#7 What In The Fine China Wannabe Royalty Is This Nonsense?

#8 Took Me A Second To Realise His Name Was Cross

#9 Should I Ask Y?

Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin were among the first celebrity couples to wow us with their choice of baby name. But now that we have kids like X Æ A-12, the name Apple doesn't seem so strange after all.

When explaining her daughter's name in 2004, Paltrow told Oprah Winfrey that “apples are so sweet, and they’re wholesome, and it’s biblical, and I just thought it sounded so lovely.”

#10 None Of Us Can Help It. Sorry

#11 My Friends Name-Ideas

#12 What Will Baby Boy #2 End Up Becoming?

Beth Riesgraf and Jason Lee reportedly took inspiration from the opening track of Grandaddy's 2000 album The Sophtware Slump when naming their child. Bizarrely, the song is titled “He’s Simple, He’s Dumb, He’s the Pilot,” and their son's name is Pilot Inspektor.

Jamie Oliver certainly doesn't shy away from offbeat baby names. The British chef and restaurateur's kids are called Poppy Honey Rosie, Daisy Boo Pamela, Petal Blossom Rainbow, Buddy Bear Maurice, and River Rocket Blue Dallas.

#13 Ou…

#14 How Do I Respond To This Without Being Super Rude?

#15 W'ow

Cardi B and Offset have a daughter called Kulture Kiari. The Kiari part comes from Offset's legal name, which is Kiari Kendrell Cephus. And Kulture could have been Culture but it's spelled with a K, because, as Cardi B tweeted in 2018, “anything else woulda been basic Okrrrrr.”

#16 I Snorted

#17 Name Origins

#18 Do I Tell My Friend?

So my friend (22F) is currently pregnant and she and her partner have been struggling to agree on names. I’ve just been sent these messages with the names they have chosen. At first I thought it was a typo but unfortunately she actually wants to call her baby ‘Equador’. I don’t want to seem nosy or controlling but I feel I’d be doing a disservice if I didn’t say something. Please help!

Despite the thousands of fairly normal names out there to choose from, Shannyn Sossamon and Dallas Clayton decided to name their son Audio Science. Yes, really.

Then there's Adelaide Gail Zappa and Frank Zappa who seemingly refused to be outdone in the world of weird baby names. Their children are called Moon Unit, Dweezil, Ahmet, and Diva Thin Muffin.

#19 Local News First Birthday

#20 What?

#21 Local To Me

"Moon or Motörhood were the two original contenders, and Unit was chosen because, as the eldest, Moon’s birth symbolized the family as a unit," reports Vogue. "Dweezil actually began as a pet name coined by Zappa for his wife’s pinky toe and was later adapted for their son. However, the hospital refused to register Dweezil under that name, so it remained a nickname (born Ian Donald Calvin Euclid) until he insisted on legally changing it at the age of five."

Ahmet — the odd one out — doesn't have an odd name at all. His is a common Turkish and Muslim name, and was a tribute to the co-founder of Atlantic Records, Ahmet Ertegun. As for Diva, her name was reportedly chosen because she was a rather vocal baby.

#22 Breaking News From North Korea

#23 Erica

#24 I’m Speechless

Thankfully, despite some really odd baby names, most people are still settling for fairly normal names. The Social Security Administration (SSA) released its annual list of the most popular names in the United States recently. They're based on babies born and named in 2025.

For girls, the top 5 are Olivia, Charlotte, Emma, Amelia and Sophia. The most popular baby boy names are Liam, Noah, Oliver, Theodore and Henry. Rather cute if you ask us. And definitely a whole lot easier to pronounce than X Æ A-12!