Elon Musk and Grimes Change Their Baby’s Name to Comply With Law

Elon Musk and Grimes have officially changed their baby’s name to comply with California‘s state laws. The odd couple previously made headlines when they announced that their son would be called “X Æ A-12 Musk.” However, California only allows the 26 characters of the alphabet to be used in legal names, so the couple has gone with “X Æ A-XII” instead.

Grimes revealed the new name on Instagram on Sunday, when a commenter asked her about it. Knowing that the previous name would not be allowed by state law, they wrote: “Did you change the baby name because of Californian laws? What is the baby’s new name?” Grimes answered simply “X Æ A-Xii.” In another comment later she added “one dash is allowed,” apparently confirming that the name had been changed for legal reasons.

Fans still could not come to a consensus on the name as they continued to discuss it in Grimes’ comments section. Some loved it while others were put off, and many still could not agree on how to pronounce it. The parents themselves have had different approaches to that as well.

“It’s just X, like the letter X. Then A.I. Like how you said the letter A then I,” Grimes wrote in another recent Instagram comment recently. However, in an interview with podcast host Joe Rogan, Musk said: “I mean it’s just X, the letter X. And then, the Æ is, like, pronounced ‘Ash’… and then, A-12, A-12 is my contribution.”

Grimes has also broken down the meaning of this naming formula on Twitter. As she explained it, the X stands in for “the unknown variable,” while “Æ” is her preferred Elven spelling of A.I. — artificial intelligence. Both Grimes and Musk have previously pointed out that “AI” is the word for “love” in some languages, including Japanese.

As for A-12, Grimes wrote that it is the “precursor to SR-17 (our favorite aircraft). No weapons, no defenses, just speed. Great in battle, but non-violent.” This presumably relates to Musk’s dream of developing space travel and colonizing Mars.

Grimes has also said that the “A” in the baby’s name represents “Archangel,” which she said is her favorite song. She has sometimes hinted that that will be another nickname for her baby. While Musk has referred to the baby as a “son,” Grimes has said that she wants to raise the baby without gender, allowing them to choose that orientation for themself.