Elon Musk and Grimes Explain Meaning Behind New Son’s Unconventional Name
It can be hard for expectant parents to pick a name for baby. There are so many options out there and parents may want the name to have a special meaning. New parents SpaceX CEO Elon Musk and Canadian singer Grimes felt the same way—and named their son with a very unusual name: X Æ A-12.
When the 48-year-old billionaire businessman first revealed the name of his newborn son, fans were pretty sure he was just making a joke. Now, with the onslaught of questions from followers, Grimes (whose real name is Claire Boucher), 32, recently took to Twitter to explain the meaning behind her son’s name.
She explained that the “X” was for “the unknown variable,” the “Æ," was for the “elven spelling of Ai (love &/or Artificial intelligence)” and “A-12” was to honor a Lockheed spy plane, which was the 12th attempted design for a project titled “Archangel.”
“(It’s a) precursor to SR-17 (our favorite aircraft),” she wrote. “No weapons, no defenses, just speed. Great in battle, but non-violent.” She was likely referring to the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird, and Musk was quick to point out her error, replying, ““SR-71, but yes.”
Grimes quickly shot back, “I am recovering from surgery and barely alive so may my typos b forgiven but, damnit,” she said. “That was meant to be profound,” to which Musk replied, “U r a powerful [angel queen].”
Whether or not the name will be accepted by the state of California remains to be seen, as, according to the state constitution, names must be composed of the 26 alphabetical characters of the English language, CNN reports.
Grimes and Musk have been together since 2018 and welcomed their first son together on Monday, May 4. Musk also has five sons from his previous marriage to Justine Musk.
