While some billionaires have chosen headline-grabbing names for their children, the majority seem to favor classic monikers with deep familial or historical significance.
From Jeff Bezos‘ family-inspired name for his eldest son to Elon Musk‘s unconventional approach to baby names, join HELLO! as we discover the monikers favored by the world’s richest parents.
In the family
© Shannon FinneyJeff Bezos has been able to keep the names of his children a secret, which is quite a feat when you’re one of the richest men in the world. The Amazon founder shares his four children with his ex-wife, MacKenzie Scott, and only their eldest son’s name has been made public.
Preston Bezos appears to be a family name, with the 26-year-old being named after Jeff’s maternal grandfather, Lawrence Preston Gise. The tradition of naming a child after a family member is incredibly common amongst the elite.
Keeping it traditional
© InstagramOther billionaires like Steve Jobs, Bill Gates and Larry Ellison have opted to keep things classic for their baby names, and chose not to stray outside of the box. Steve’s four children are named Eve (derived from Hebrew), Reed (an Anglo-Saxon name), Erin (Gaelic for “Ireland”) and Lisa (a Hebrew name meaning “God is my oath”).
Bill’s three kids are named Jennifer, Rory and Phoebe, which are classic monikers that hail from Cornwall, Scotland and Greece, respectively. Larry named his children David and Megan, while Michael Dell named his kids Zachary, Kira, Alexa and Juliette, which are all variations of classic names.
Outside the box
© InstagramBillionaires like Mark Zuckerberg have branched out further when it comes to naming their children. The Facebook founder shares three daughters with his wife, Priscilla Chan, named Maxima, August and Aurelia – all of which are rather unusual names in this day and age.
Maxima has ancient Roman roots, deriving from the Latin word “maximus” meaning “the greatest”, while August also derives from Latin, meaning “majestic” or “great”. Aurelia has Roman roots, and takes its meaning from the Latin word aureus, meaning “the golden one”.
Weird and wacky
© Getty ImagesNo one has sparked more conversation about celebrity names than Tesla CEO Elon Musk, the richest man in the world, who is a father to 14 kids. While the names of his first six children, whom he welcomed with his first wife, Justine Wilson, aren’t exactly out there – including Nevada, Griffin, Vivian, Kai, Saxon and Damian – the names of his youngest eight children are markedly more unusual.
He shares X Æ A-12, Exa Dark Sidrael and Techno Mechanicus with musician Grimes. X was named after the CIA’s Lockheed A-12 reconnaissance plane, while Exa was named after a supercomputing term, exaFLOPS, and “the unknown”, according to her mother, while Sidrael refers to a Lord of the Rings character. Techno goes by the nickname of “Tau”.
© CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty ImagHe welcomed twins Strider and Azure with Shivon Zilis, as well as a daughter, Arcadia, and a son, Seldon Lycurgus. Strider has its origins in Old English, and could be another Lord of the Rings reference, while Azure is derived from Persian and refers to a shade of blue. Arcadia originates from Ancient Greece and means “harmony” or “utopia”. It is not known what the origin of Seldon’s name is.
Elon welcomed his youngest child, Romulus, with Ashley St. Clair, and the name derives from the moniker of the founder and first king of Rome.
The verdict
© Getty ImagesA clear pattern seems to emerge when looking at the children of the world’s richest parents – namely that most billionaires favor classic, traditional and established names like Jennifer, David and Eve. Outliers like Elon Musk might make headlines with their unpronounceable baby names, but they are the exception, not the rule.
