Elon Musk And Grimes Have to Rename Their Son Due to Legal Reasons
Elon Musk, the renowned tech billionaire, and Canadian musician Grimes, known to many as Claire Boucher, found themselves in a rather unique predicament. Their choice of name for their son did not sit well with certain legal requirements, necessitating a change.
The couple, who came into the public eye as an item in 2018, first appeared together at the grand Met Gala that year. Their relationship, while fascinating, has been quite dynamic, marked by periods of closeness and moments of drifting apart.
Grimes and Musk share three children. The eldest was born in May 2020, their daughter Exa Dark Sideræl, arrived in December 2021 via surrogate, and their latest addition, a son named Techno Mechanicus, whose birth date they have kept under wraps. It’s this first child whose name has drawn attention and inevitable change.
Initially, in September 2021, Elon Musk revealed a phase of being ‘semi-separated’ from Grimes, yet she still referred to Musk endearingly as her ‘boyfriend’ in early 2022. The narrative took another twist when, by March 2022, Grimes confirmed another breakup, yet she still valued Musk as her “best friend and the love of my life.”
Despite personal dynamics, one interesting facet is Grimes’s public distancing from some of Musk’s controversial actions. Notably, she spoke out against fascism following an incident in January 2025, where Musk made headlines for mimicking a Nazi-like salute.
What caught the world’s eye was the unique name given to their firstborn. Grimes went as far as explaining the significance behind each letter and symbol in a tweet, emphasizing the creative thought behind it. However, the law had its firm grip on what could be formally recognized as a name. Musk and Grimes’s son’s original name was X Æ A-12, pronounced ‘Ex Ash A Twelve.’ The distinctive nature of the name was well-received by some, while others found it unusual.
Grimes, with enthusiasm, explained that the “A-12” part stood for a precursor to their favorite aircraft, the SR-17. She highlighted its non-violent design aspects, focusing more on speed in battle situations. Their second child’s name, Exa Dark Sideræl, was introduced with equal fascination. Grimes discussed in an interview the name’s connection to a high-performance computing term, exaFLOPS, and ‘Dark’ serving as a metaphor for the mysteries of the universe.
The California law, however, turned out to be quite rigid. It necessitates that names be documented using the 26 alphabetical letters of the English language. Although some punctuation such as apostrophes are allowed, numbers, Roman numerals, or symbols aren’t permissible. This regulation meant the name X Æ A-12 could not be used legally as it stood.
To comply, Musk and Grimes slightly altered the name of their son to X Æ A-Xii, substituting the number 12 with Roman numerals. This adjustment helped navigate around the legal constraints while retaining their original creative spirit.
Family attorney David Glass elucidated why such innovative names would often face legal challenges, stating that despite its unique approach, California holds strict rules on names featuring symbols or numbers. These restrictions continue to present hurdles for non-traditional name choices.
As Grimes and Musk welcome their lives together with their unique brood, their story is punctuated with such remarkable episodes as their children’s names, reflecting their intricate identity and sense of individuality.
