Beyonce announced her pregnancy at the MTV Video Awards with a not-so-subtle rub of her belly, garnering the most tweets about a specific subject in the history of Twitter. That record may have been shattered late last night when she gave birth to her daughter. An on-again, off-again insomniac, I was online when it started and within minutes it was a trending topic and was soon hailed as the youngest trending topic to date. Quite a fitting entrance for the offspring of “The Queen of Everything” and “Hova.”
There has been much anticipation, speculation, and suggestion waiting on the announcement of the name of the baby of the entertainment world’s most successful couple. Would her name be as “one-of-a-kind” as Beyonce or her sister Solange? Today, we have it—Blue Ivy. Not necessarily a “one-of-a-kind” name, but certainly rich with unique and very personal meaning. Here’s the breakdown.
Ivy, as in IV, as in the Roman number 4.
“We all have special numbers in our lives and 4 is that for me. It’s the day I was born, my mother’s birthday and a lot of my friend’s birthdays; April 4th is my wedding date,” she recently told Billboard Magazine. It’s also husband Jay-Z’s birthday, December 4th and the name of her 4th album as a solo-artist—’Four,’ released on June 4th.
The concept of naming after special numbers is not new to those who follow the trends of celebrity baby names. In July 2011, Victoria and David Beckham welcomed their first daughter, Harper Seven to their family. She weighed 7 pounds, was born in the 7th hour of the 7th month on the 7th day. The number 7 was David’s jersey number for Manchester United and the English national team.
Also in July 2011, actress Natalie Portman gave birth to her son named Alef—a name with much significance for the Jerusalem-born actress who feels a deep connection to Israel. Alef is the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet.
Soul singer Erykah Badu named her son (with Outkast’s Andre 3000) Seven, now 13 years old, explaining that 7 is a divine number and cannot be divided.
I have a soft-spot for names that are this rich with meaning. I love that some names have legacies, traditions and sentiment to pass on.
Originally Published at Yummy Mummy Club
