[ad_1]
I had an idea that he couldn’t be baptized David, Paul or Michael, but when Elon Musk and Grimes announced the name of their first child together, I had to do a double take. Even by celebrity standards, X Æ A-12 is a pretty daring nickname. It seems that this is possibly pronounced X Ash Archangel. Rumors abound that Musk, the CEO of car company Tesla and spacecraft company SpaceX, may be joking about his newborn son’s name. Worse rumors that maybe not abound.
In any case, X Ash Archangel almost counts as a pedestrian in the famous baby firmament. Frank Zappa started the madness with his daughter, Diva Thin Muffin Pigeen. Since then, we have hosted Bingham (son of Kate Hudson), Morocco and Monroe (daughters of Mariah Carey), Northwest (daughter of Kim Kardashian), Dandelion (daughter of Keith Richards), Banjo (son of Rachel Griffith) and Buster ( Johnny Lee Miller) son). Closer to home, Middle Ireland made a collective “what?” When Bono named his second daughter, Memphis Eve (now simply Eve).
In any case, I have officially waived the right to pass judgment on anyone’s unique baby name choice, including one made up of numbers and doodles. I suspect you will have to walk a bit to find another Isola baby, which is what I called my daughter, in Ireland. After hearing the name, the Italian for Island, and the name of Oscar Wilde’s sister, in the 1990s, I fell madly in love with him.
My partner did not. “You can shorten it to Izzy if you want,” I offered as a bargaining chip. It softened when he realized that there were reportedly half a dozen Isolas calling Dublin during the 1916 Uprising.
In addition to Izzy, everyone around her pronounces Isola in various ways. Some rhyme with Zola, others with Rizla. Furthermore, when pronounced in Italian, they call her Eesola. I imagine you can choose what you want when you are older.
Giving your child an unusual name if he is not a rapper, psychedelic musician, or award-winning actress is not for the faint of heart. Reactions range from mocking to “woah, notions” smile to downright puzzled. Unless you’re my pointless neighbor to Northsider, he just huffed and growled, “Oh, by Jaysis.” reason! “when you heard it first.
Will you hear “spell that for me?” more times than you want to remember. You will have to explain its origin on a metronomic basis. You will have to explain why you decided to give an innocent child who did nothing wrong such an unusual name a little less often, but often enough. Soon Isola simply becomes “the baby” for people who ask about her in polite conversation, because very few can remember her name.
Sometimes I wonder how Isola will get along later in life with an unknown name – is she destined to be forever mistaken for a baby with a coronavirus? – And I think she’ll probably be fine. Besides, it’s not like he called it a microwave or Pringles or Rothmans. I know Demelzas, Rioghnachs and Solanges, and they carry their charming unusual names with elan.
I did not give my daughter her name to stand out from the crowd. It is not a fashion statement. I love his jumble of letters, his cadence, his romance. I don’t care if you think I have notions until Tuesday. I see the letters I-s-o-l-a and all I see is love. Perhaps Elon Musk feels exactly the same.
[ad_2]