Elon Musk and Grimes welcomed their first child on May 4, 2020, and ended up naming him with the most unusual name. It had people on social media confused about the meaning, origin, and even the pronunciation. Musk named him X Æ A-12, and he has explained answers to all the questions that everyone has been scratching their heads for.
We agree it’s an unusual name, but for the couple, it holds a deeper meaning. As revealed by Musk on Joe Rogan’s podcast, he explains the meaning as well as the pronunciation. The clip of him saying Æ is pronounced as Ash and X is just letter X has surfaced on TikTok. Furthermore, he says, “Archangel 12 – the precursor to the SR-71 – coolest plane ever.”
Moreover, the plane SR-71 is a part of a CIA program named Archangel. It happens to be Grimes’ favorite song, too. She revealed more information on the name as she also contributed to making this a weird combination of a name. She posted on X that the name is partly drawn from the SR-71 craft, calling it the couple’s favorite.
It has no defense or weapon, but is the best non-violent craft in battle due to its speed. Also, the elven spelling for AI, Æ, is part of the name. Grimes added a rat emoji with a sword, ending the explanation with a metal rat. They started with 12 in the name, but later on, due to California rules, they had to update it to XII. The previous spelling wasn’t compliant with the state laws–the name should not have numbers in it.
Elon Musk after Naming his New Born Son “X Æ A-12” #elonmuskbaby pic.twitter.com/15E67cCYBC
— AbhiAbhiShake (@nowShakeeit) May 6, 2020
Thousands of netizens reacted to the post with their opinions. One called them out, saying he’d be upset if he had that name. Another one asked them how could they name their son after a plane. Third one chimed in saying that’s not how you pronounce Æ. One user joked this is why they don’t let dads name the kids.
Moreover, people questioned them on their choice of name for the kid, enquiring if they realize he’s a human, not an EP. At a young age, the child himself may not understand his name’s meaning or how to write it down.
This is Lil X, Elon’s 6th son. He was originally named “X Æ A-12 Musk”, but due to legal issues with the name in California, it was changed to “X Æ A-Xii Musk”. Here’s how the name breaks down:
X – represents the unknown variable, commonly used in mathematics. It’s also a letter… pic.twitter.com/R8BGvx4GkX
— Milosophy (@MuskPhilosophyx) November 1, 2024
Grimes, whose real name is Claire Elise Boucher, has two other kids with Musk. Looks like unusual names are something that they like, as they are named Exa Dark Sideræl and Techno Mechanicus.
The names also have a short version with Y and Tau. Although they aren’t together they do co-parent the three children. Other unusual kids’ names include Romulus, Azure and Arcadia, which seems like a trend for the tech billionaire.
