Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s New Baby!

Beyoncé Knowles and Jay-Z Carter are perhaps one of the most famous celebrity couples to date, touting an extreme net worth and a tremendous amount of respect, prestige, and talent. So naturally, the public was anxious to hear the announcement of their child’s name. When Beyoncé gave birth on Saturday, January 7, 2012, fans were shocked upon learning that the name of their daughter is Blue Ivy Carter.
Some fans loved it, others hated it, but most were just confused. This raises the question of why celebrities often choose awkward (verging on embarrassing) baby names, ranging from Michael Jackson’s “Blanket” to Penn Jillette’s “Moxie Crimefighter.”
“It’s just an attention grabber,” says Miranda Bullock, junior at Urbana High School, “something to get them in the headlines and make it known that they are unique…A name like Blue Ivy will stand out against a sea of Brittany’s, Hannah’s, Daniel’s, and Mark’s.”
Many fans agree. Unhappy devotees and gossip bloggers have blown up Twitter in the past week with stories of conspiracy, ranging from the anagram of Blue Ivy to be Latin for “Daughter of Lucifer,” to Beyoncé stealing the name from Veronica Alexandra’s event planning company. Nevertheless, the famous duo is happy with their daughter’s name, and has not yet released a public statement concerning its origin.
Many other celebs have chosen the route of strange baby names, perhaps to make their kids stand out, or to bring themselves more attention. Frank Zappa certainly takes the cake for his children’s names, of which the four are named: Moon Unit, Dweezil, Ahmet Emuukha Rodan, and Diva Thin Muffin Pigeen. Other whacky names include Gwyneth Paltow and Chris Martin’s child “Apple” and Jason Lee’s son “Pilot Inspektor.”
Although Beyoncé and Jay-Z may have been pressured to choose the name “Blue Ivy” due to the general trend of these silly names, not all Hollywood stars do the same. For example, Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes named their daughter “Suri,” a unique yet not outrageous name. Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt named their son “Maddox,” a quite individual name that still manages to sound normal.
So students, if you ever end up getting famous and having a child of your own, try to think of stars’ past mistakes upon choosing the name for your descendant. Your child’s fate lies in your hands!