Why Did Grimes & Elon Musk Name Their Baby X Æ A-12?

new york, ny may 07 elon musk and grimes attend the heavenly bodies fashion the catholic imagination costume institute gala at the metropolitan museum of art on may 7, 2018 in new york city photo by dia dipasupilwireimage

(Image credit: Dia Dipasupil)

published 6 May 2020

Elon Musk announced that Grimes had given birth to their first child together on Monday, May 4.
Musk later shared the baby's name: X Æ A-12 Musk.
Grimes confirmed the name in a tweet Tuesday night, explaining that each element had personal significance to the couple.

Elon Musk announced the arrival of his first child with girlfriend Grimes on Monday, May 4, tweeting, "Mom & baby all good." (Musk also has five sons from his previous marriage to Justine Musk.) He subsequently tweeted the newborn's name: X Æ A-12 Musk.

In Grimes' first tweet since the baby, her first child, was born, she confirmed the name, explaining each individual element and what it means to the couple. "X, the unknown variable," she tweeted. "Æ, my elven spelling of Ai (love &/or Artificial intelligence)."

"A-12" is an military airplane reference, Grimes (real name Claire Boucher) explained. The Lockheed A-12 is a now retired reconnaissance aircraft built for the CIA in the 1960s. "No weapons, no defenses, just speed. Great in battle, but non-violent," Grimes tweeted. The aircraft was known as Archangel during development, according to the BBC—and "Archangel" also happens to be Grimes' favorite song, she added. (A little internet sleuthing indicates she's referring to "Archangel" by Burial.)

•X, the unknown variable ⚔️•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 🤍+ (A=Archangel, my favorite song) (⚔️🐁 metal rat)May 6, 2020

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Emily Dixon is a British journalist who’s contributed to CNN, Teen Vogue, Time, Glamour, The Guardian, Wonderland, The Big Roundtable, Bust, and more, on everything from mental health to fashion to political activism to feminist zine collectives. She’s also a committed Beyoncé, Kacey Musgraves, and Tracee Ellis Ross fan, an enthusiastic but terrible ballet dancer, and a proud Geordie lass.