Here’s Why Elon Musk And Grimes’ Unconventional Baby Name Will Probably Be Rejected By The State Of California

TOPLINE

This week, Tesla billionaire Elon Musk and musician Grimes announced the name of their newborn son as X Æ A-12 to much internet fanfare, ridicule, and head scratching—but here’s why the name the couple chose is likely to be rejected by the state of California. 

KEY FACTS

Tangent

Musk and Grimes are hardly the first couple to choose an unconventional name for a newborn. In New Zealand in 2008, a judge placed a nine-year-old into court guardianship so her name could be changed from “Talula Does the Hula From Hawaii.” In 2013, a little boy in Tennessee named “Messiah” became the center of a legal controversy after a judge ordered the name changed on the basis that only Jesus Christ had earned that title. That judge was later fired and the baby kept his name. In 2017, a couple sued the Georgia Department of Health because it refused to issue a birth certificate with the last name “Allah” for their daughter. The Department of Health originally rejected the name because Allah was not the existing surname of either the mother or the father, nor was it a combination of either. After the ACLU filed a lawsuit against the department, the state capitulated. 

Key background

Grimes—a Canadian musician whose real name is Claire Elise Boucher—elaborated on the meaning of the name on Twitter on Tuesday, beginning with “X, the unknown variable.” That’s followed by “Æ, my elven spelling of Ai (love &/or Artificial intelligence),” and a nod to a famous CIA aircraft: “A-12 = precursor to SR-17 (our favorite aircraft). No weapons, no defenses, just speed. Great in battle, but non-violent.” The A also stands for “Archangel,” Grimes said, and the “12” represents the sign of the rat in the Chinese zodiac.

Further reading

California Department of Public Health and Vital Records Birth Registration Handbook

X Æ A-12: Does Elon Musk’s Baby Name Have A Hidden Meaning? (Forbes)

Elon Musk and Grimes’ Newborn’s Name, X Æ A-12, Is Technically Legal but ‘Won’t Be Accepted’ (People)

Parents sue for right to name daughter ‘Allah’ (CNN)