The choice of names for children often reflects family values, traditions or personal preferences of the parents. Although some billionaires have caused a lot of backlash in recent years because of their children’s unusual names, most of the world’s richest people still opt for classic and well-known names.
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has four children with his ex-wife MacKenzie Scott, but only the name of their eldest son is known to the public. Preston Bezos, according to available information, was named after Bezos’ maternal grandfather, Lawrence Preston Gise. Naming after family members is still a common practice among famous and wealthy families.
Other famous billionaires had a similar approach. Steve Jobs’ children are named Eve, Reed, Erin and Lisa. Bill Gates named his children Jennifer, Rory and Phoebe, while Larry Ellison’s children are David and Megan. Michael Dell decided on the names Zachary, Kira, Alexa and Juliette, which are also among the popular and traditional names.
However, some billionaires have broken away from established patterns. Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan have three daughters: Maxima, August and Aurelia. The names of their daughters have roots in the Latin language. Maxima is related to the word meaning “greatest”, Augustus can be translated as “exalted” or “magnificent”, while Aurelia comes from the word meaning “golden”.
Elon Musk, who has 14 children, attracted the most public attention. His first six children from his marriage to Justine Wilson are named Nevada, Griffin, Vivian, Kai, Saxon and Damian, which do not deviate significantly from the usual names.
However, the names of his younger children are considerably more unusual. He had three children with the musician Grimes: X Æ A-12, Exu Dark Sidrael and Techna Mechanicus. X Æ A-12 is associated with the Lockheed A-12 reconnaissance aircraft, Exa is inspired by the computer term exaFLOPS, while Sidrael is associated with fantasy literature. Techno Mechanicus is also known by the nickname Tau.
With Shivon Zilis Musk has twins Strider and Azure and daughter Arcadia and son Seldon Lycurgus. Strider is believed to be inspired by a character from The Lord of the Rings, Azure denotes a shade of blue, while Arcadia traces its origins to ancient Greece and is often associated with an ideal place to live. The origin of the name Seldon is unknown.
Musk’s youngest child, Romulus, was born to Ashley St. Clair. The name Romulus is associated with the legendary founder and first king of Rome.
