What Does Psalm West, the Name of Kim and Kanye's New Baby, Mean?

It’s a big week for the Kardashians: Kim Kardashian West and husband Kanye West welcomed their fourth child into the world. Following the big reveal from Kourtney Kardashian (opens in new tab) on last Thursday night’s Ellen Show that their surrogate had gone into labor, the superstar couple took to Instagram the following Friday to proudly announce that they’d named their new baby boy Psalm West.

And, in true Kardashian style, they’ve selected a showstopping name that no one could have predicted. Following older siblings North, Saint, and Chicago (opens in new tab), each with an impressive and unusual name, their newest son has been called Psalm. Pretty lovely, right? If not potentially a little confusing.

Kim shared the news with a screenshot of a text exchange with Kanye, presumably sent on Mother's Day. She captioned it simply, "Psalm West."

It’s a long-standing tradition for Kim and her sisters to choose names for their children that carry a hidden meaning, so where exactly did she and Kanye take inspiration for Psalm?

Psalm follows in a long line of hidden meanings for the Kardashian kids (opens in new tab). While all the sisters, as well as momager Kris, all share names beginning with the letter ‘K’, the family decided not to carry that trend any further down the line. Kourtney (opens in new tab) was the first to buck the "K" expectations, choosing Mason Dash for her oldest son, before later giving birth to Penelope Scotland and Reign Aston. Across on the family tree, you’ll also find Kylie Jenner’s daughter Stormi (opens in new tab), and Khloe Kardashian’s baby girl, True (opens in new tab).

For Kim and Kanye, baby names have always been significant and personal choices. Eldest daughter North (opens in new tab) was a surprise choice, having originally just been a rumored name created by fans which Kim wasn’t a huge fan of. The reality star has since revealed: “Anna Wintour came over… She told us 'North is a genius name.' Kanye and I looked at one another and just laughed. I guess at that point it sort of stuck.”

Saint was thought to be a more poignant choice (opens in new tab) for the couple, who had been referring to their second baby as a “blessing” throughout a difficult and complicated nine months of pregnancy for Kim.

When Kim and Kanye announced their third child's name was Chicago (opens in new tab), fans were left to guess at the real meaning—but it does make sense, considering Kanye grew up in the South Side of Chicago. Others have theorized the name could be a tribute to his late mother Donda, who passed away suddenly at 58. Kimye has yet to confirm the real reason behind Chi's name.

As for Psalm, it's clear that this is a nod to the couple's religious leanings. They may have been particularly inspired by the growth of Kanye's Sunday Services, a weekly service where he performs gospel versions of older hits. It's clearly a family affair—even North has performed (opens in new tab), and several of the Kardashians regularly attend. (opens in new tab)

Kanye has said that his favorite app is his Bible app,  (opens in new tab)and Kim told Vogue that although her family is low-key about it, religion means a lot to them. “We don’t share it much, but we’re really religious," Kardashian explained to Vogue (opens in new tab). She added:

Welcome to the world, Psalm. With a name like that (and a family legacy like that), we’re expecting big things.

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