Gwyneth Paltrow Hilariously Weighs in on Elon Musk and Grimes’ Baby Name

The name chosen by Elon Musk and Grimes for their first child together has definitely sparked a lot of online chatter since his arrival was formally announced on Monday. Now, Gwyneth Paltrow has offered her thoughts on little X Æ A-12 Musk in a comment on an InStyle Instagram post.

“[Chris Martin], I think we got beat for most controversial baby name,” she replied, via E! Online. Paltrow’s comment is a clear reference to the name of her daughter, Apple, which caused quite the conversation when she and Martin announced it back in 2004. At the time, Apple was considered to be the high-water mark for “out there” celebrity baby names, which really underscores how times have changed.

It was back in 2004 when Paltrow opened up to Oprah Winfrey about how she chose the name Apple in the first place. “Basically it was because, when we were first pregnant, her daddy said, ‘If it’s a girl I think her name should be Apple,” she said at the time. “It sounded so sweet, and it conjured such a lovely picture for me, you know? Apples are so sweet and they’re wholesome, and it’s biblical and I just thought it sounded so lovely. Then she was born and it became like an international outrage, which I found surprising because there are people named Rose or Lily or Ivy or June or, you know, lots of pretty nouns.”

Like the MCU star before her, Grimes also offered a lengthy explanation on how she and Musk landed on the name for their son, as well as what it means. Later, they clarified how it should be pronounced, which was different from their own pronunciation. All of which makes Apple seem downright conventional in hindsight.

“X, the unknown variable,” Grimes tweeted on Tuesday. “Æ, my elven spelling of Ai (love &/or Artificial intelligence). A-12 = precursor to SR-17 (our favorite aircraft). No weapons, no defenses, just speed. Great in battle, but non-violent.” She also pointed out that the “A” in the name also represents “Archangel” — which she said is her “favorite song” — while the number 12 stood for the Chinese zodiac sign of the rat. This year also happens to be the Year of the Metal Rat according to the Chinese zodiac.