“I don’t want a name that’s anything pretentious or, like, Hollywoody. So I’m going with Excalibur Anaconda Reynolds…that’s if it’s a girl,” Ryan Reynolds said in 2014 before his first child was born.
But he and Blake Lively didn’t quite opt for ‘Excalibur’ when naming their baby girl months later. They called her James instead.
And they’re not the only celebrities to name their baby girl with a traditional boy’s name, with Haylie Duff naming her daughter Ryan too.
Jessica Biel and Justin Timberlake went in the complete opposite baby naming direction, calling their son Silas Randall.
But they’re not the only celebrities giving their children weird baby names.
Remember North, Apple, Blue Ivy, Bear and Rosalind Arusha Arkadina Altalune Florence? We look back at just some of the unusual baby names that have been bestowed on celebrity bubs.
Ryan Reynolds said he want to name his bubba Excalibur Anaconda if he and Blake Lively had a girl, but they opted for a slightly more ‘traditional’ name instead – James.
Justin Timberlake and Jessica Beil named their baby boy Silas Randall.
Kate Winslet named her child Bear Blaze Rocknroll after the house fire where she met her husband Ned.
Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban called their daughter Sunday Rose, because Sunday was their least favourite day of the week until they met each other.
Gwyneth Paltrow called her daughter Apple because apples are “sweet, wholesome, clean and biblical”.
Drew Barrymore and husband Will Kopelman named their baby daughter Olive because when they discovered Drew was pregnant, that’s what size the baby was.
Actress Busy Phillips and hubby Marc Silverstein named their daughters Birdie Leigh – after former US First Lady Lady Bird Johnson – and Cricket Pearl – because Marc thought “everyone likes cricket – she is the coolest camp counsellor, she is hot in college”.
Uma Thurman named her third child Rosalind Arusha Arkadina Altalune Florence Thurman-Busson. Uma says she and her partner, Arpad Busson were struggling to pick a name so they just used all of the ones they like. For the sake of saving time thankfully, the child will answer to ‘Luna’.
Jessica Alba and hubby Cash Warren named their second daughter Haven because she was delivered inside her amniotic sac, or her “safe haven” as Cash commented at the birth.
It’s no big surprise Nick Cage went a little baby naming crazy. His son is christened Kal-El Cage after Superman’s birth name.
Kim Kardashian and Kanye West christened their bub North West because they saw it as a metaphor for “up” which is where they want the baby to go in life.
Only Mariah Carey would have twins and christen them with matching monikers. The singer had twins with husband Nick Cannon and called her son Moroccan – after the decor in her New York apartment – and daughter Monroe – after Marilyn Monroe.
Beyoncé and Jay-Z called their daughter Blue Ivy Carter after a passage from Beyonce’s favourite book A Field Guide to Getting Lost by Rebecca Solnit.
Crash star Thandie Newton took to Twitter to announce that she and husband Ol Parker decided to name their baby boy Booker (after a US historical figure) Jombe (a popular Zimbabwean name in tribute to Thandie’s cultural heritage).
Jessica Simpson and Eric Johnson gave their second child a very unusual, Ace Knute (pronounced Ka-nute). The strange middle name is reportedly in honour of Johnson’s Swedish paternal grandfather, Knute Johnson. Their pair have one other child, a girl, Maxwell.
Almost Famous and My Name is Earl actor Jason Lee called his son Pilot Inspektor Riesgraf Lee, inspired by his favourite song, which features the lyrics: “He’s simple, he’s dumb, he’s the pilot.”
Channing Tatum and wife Jenna Dewan-Tatum named their baby Everly because they wanted something that sounded “old English”.
Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem have reportedly named their new baby daughter Luna Encinas, after the moon, which they both love, and Javier’s father’s name.
Reese Witherspoon and her second husband Jim Toth called their son Tennessee James after her home state.
Teresa Palmer and her husband Mark Webber named their baby Bodhi Rain Palmer. The actress took to Instagram to explain: “Bodhi means ‘Enlightened one,’ Rain means ‘Abundant Blessings From Above’ and we chose Palmer as his last name as Mark’s son Isaac didn’t take his dad’s name either.”
