Celebrity Baby Names

Is it because they are famous? Is it because they are artistic? Is it a publicity stunt? Whatever the reason, celebrities rarely settle for average when it comes to naming their children.

A Name by Any Other…
Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin continue to draw attention to their daughter after deciding to name her Apple. Courtney Cox and her husband, David Arquette also got a few raised eyebrows after deciding to call their daughter Coco. And then there is John Travolta and his wife, Kelly Preston, who indulged Travolta's love of planes by calling their son Jett.

The Travolta/Preston household also maintained a common color-theme among celebrities by naming their daughter Ella Bleu. In addition to Ella, Veronica Webb has a daughter named Molly Blue, Shannon Hoon (deceased lead singer of Blind Melon) has a daughter named Nico Blue, while Cher named her son Elijah Blue and Dave Evans' (aka 'The Edge' of U2 fame) little girl is Blue Angel.

Flowers are also popular with celebrities. Sylvester Stallone and his wife, Jennifer Flavin Stallone, liked the name Rose so much, they gave it to all three of their daughters: Sophia Rose, Sistine Rose and Scarlet Rose. Duran Duran lead-singer, Simon LeBon, and his wife Yasmine named their daughter Amber Rose, much to the delight of her sisters, Saffron Sahara and Tallulah Pine. However, Rose isn't the only sweet-smelling name for the rich and famous. Jools and Jamie Olivier named their two daughters Poppy Honey and Daisy Boo.

Keeping it in the Family
However, not all celebrities look for names way out in left field. Some prefer to pass a family name on to future generations. And if you're George Foreman, you make sure no one feels left out. While two of his daughters have a derivative of his name (Freeda George and Georgetta), all of Foreman's five sons bear his name: George Jr, George III, George IV, George V, and George VI.

Lucille Ball and Desi Arnez were also less than imaginative when it came to naming their two children. They named their daughter Lucie while their son became Desi Jr. Celine Dion and Renee Angelil also went the "Junior" route by naming their son Rene-Charles. Of course, it is possible to name your children after you while making it original at the same time. Rather than just going with "Michael Jr," Michael Jackson preferred to name his son Prince Michael while his daughter became Paris Michael Katherine.

What Once Was
It's not that long ago that Demi Moore and Bruce Willis made waves by naming their three daughters Rumer Glenn, Scout Larue and Tallulah Belle. Victoria and David Beckham also received some attention for naming their first-born Brooklyn after where he was conceived. His brothers, Romeo and Cruz, have also received some attention for their names. Even Madonna's choice of Lourdes and Rocco for her daughter and son sent a ripple through celebrity reporters. Yet, these names seem mundane in comparison with these celebrity children's names:

• Jason Lee: Pilot Inspektor
• Robert Rodriguez: Rocket Valentin, Racer Maximilliano, and Rebel Antonio
• Paula Yates and Bob Geldof: Fifi Trixibelle, Peaches Honeyblossom, and Pixie
• Paula Yates and Michael Hutchinson: Heavenly, Hiraani, and Tiger Lily
• Anna Ryder Richardson (British personality): Dixie Dot and Bibi Belle
• Bono: Elijah Bob Patricus Guggi Q

Of course, no list of celebrity names would be complete unless the grandfather of all unique celebrity baby names was included. Perhaps starting the trend, Frank Zappa named his children: Dweezil, Ahmeet Rodan, Moon Unit and Diva.

A Look to the Future
Perhaps the younger generations of celebrities are beginning to learn from the mistakes of others and are bucking the "crazy name" phenomenon. Britney Spears shocked many when she and her husband, Kevin Federline, announced that they had named their son Sean Preston. Heath Ledger and Michelle Williams also decided to go with a traditional name when their daughter, Matilda Rose, arrived.

But for those of you who are addicted to those original celebrity baby names, never fear. For every Britney and Michelle who go with Sean and Matilda, there is a Nicolas Cage waiting in the wings with a Kal-el (Superman's birth name, of course).