Elon Musk and Grimes Change Son's Name to Comply With Rule; But It's Still a Tongue Twister

California officials object to the name X Æ A-12, say only 26 alphabetical characters of the English language can be used to name a baby.

Elon Musk
Reuters

Tesla CEO Elon Musk and his girlfriend Grimes have tweaked their son's unusual name to comply with California rules. According to the changes, the new name is X Æ A-Xii instead of the earlier name X Æ A-12.

The changes were made as the California state constitution and health codes state that only the 26 alphabetical characters of the English language can be used to name a baby. The tweaked name was announced on Instagram by Grimes. "Roman numerals. Looks better tbh ... one dash is allowed," she wrote announcing the news.

Earlier, when the baby was named by the celebrity couple as X Æ A-12, California officials had raised objections and said that this unusual name cannot be allowed. As per USA Today's report, "Vital records must be completed with the 26 alphabetical characters of the English language and appropriate punctuation such as hyphens, apostrophes, periods, and commas," said Matt Conens, of the Office of Public Affairs of the California Department of Public Health.

Apparently, these rules have been explained properly in the handbook of the Department of Public Health.

Elon Musk tweet

Meaning Of X Æ A-12

Grimes had explained that the first letter X means the unknown variable. Æ has several meanings including eleven spelling of AI, shorthand for artificial intelligence. It also means love in Japanese and other languages.

A in the name means archangel Grimes' favorite song. A-12 is the precursor to SR-17, which is Musk and Grimes' favorite aircraft. Grimes had said that the aircraft stands for no weapons, no defenses, just speed; great in battle, but non-violent.

Grimes and Musk Pronounce the Name Differently?

After the name was announced, fans were confused not knowing how to pronounce the name. Understanding their difficulty, Grimes explained on her Instagram the way to pronounce it. She said, "It's just X, like the letter X. Then A.I. Like how you said the letter A then I," responding to a request.

But during a podcast with host Joe Rogan, Musk pronounced it differently. "It is just X, the letter X. And then, the Æ is pronounced as 'Ash'. A-12," he said.

Musk also has five other children from his previous marriage and they are named Griffin and Xavier (Twins) and Damian, Saxon and Kai (triplets).

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