The (almost) exact science behind celebrity children's names

Whenever a world-famous couple announces they're expecting a baby, the name guessing game explodes on social media and beyond, monopolizing gossip and entertainment magazines and even betting sites. That's right: we’re curious and feel involved, we want to know everything absolutely everything about the lives of our favorite stars and their offspring. Without going too far back, just think about how eagerly awaited the name reveals of the children of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, or Kate Middleton and William were. The same goes for American royalty: how long did we wait to discover the names of the children of Rihanna or Beyoncé? And when we finally know, the comments start pouring in. Is it a long or short name? Compound? Unique? Does it reference ancestors and family traditions, or is it something trendy? In short, we love talking about it. A lot.

Justin and Hailey Bieber: What Will Their First Child’s Name Be?

Now under the spotlight are Hailey Bieber and her Justin. The two have just announced they are expecting a baby with very romantic photos showing the baby bump during a vow renewal ceremony. According to the most informed sources, the hottest couple of the moment – followed by Gen Z for beauty, music, glam, love, and nostalgia – has already decided on a name. This, of course, hasn’t stopped anyone from speculating and trying to guess. Thanks to them, a new type of pre-existing content has emerged: that of name experts, who intercept and predict names and trends, and often help (for a fee, of course) expectant parents in what they call "the naming journey."

TikTok’s Name Experts Weigh In: Potential Names for the Bieber child

So, what do these so-called experts and trend forecasters consulted by The Cut have to say? The options are numerous. Steph Coffield suggests Venus for an ultra-glamorous girl. If it’s a boy, she bets on short names like Dean, Ike, and Jones, or even Zale, Stone, Selwyn or Sinclair, which have an old-money allure and could be used regardless of the baby's gender, which we don't yet know. Taylor Humphreys has a different opinion, throwing names like Bob, Zen, Sol, or Pax into the arena, reflecting Justin Bieber’s playful and sporty spirit, it seems. Or Jacques, Stone/Roche, Wolf, Peace, Brave and Win, because Baldwin means "brave friend," and the couple might want to evoke this meaning. Colleen Slagen takes a different path, focusing on spirituality. After all, the Biebers are very religious. According to her, potential names include Ciel, Marseilles, Fox or Foxi Rae, Zurich Rhode, Prince, Zepp, or Mercury. Sonya Prior also goes biblical, proposing Zipporah for a girl, for that boost of uniqueness, or Rhode or Mads, which refers to Mary.

Examining these hypotheses, a sort of pattern emerges, a list of references. Obviously, they draw from family history, abbreviations, or more or less direct references to the family tree. There’s also a strong focus on uniqueness and names that don’t appear in the most common and frequently used name charts in the United States. Naming a child is never easy, especially when their birth is seen as the beginning of a new legacy, the union of two of the most famous and admired people of the 2020s. Who knows if Hailey and Justin are reading this bets and how the world will react to their announcement, when it inevitably comes.