While I think we can all agree X Æ A-12 is a beautiful name for a child, the state of California may not be able to recognize it legally.
The name, in case you missed it, is the one Elon Musk and Grimes apparently gave to their newborn son, who entered a strange world with a strange name on Monday. And despite initial speculation that the name, which Musk first announced on Twitter, was a joke, both parents have since offered explanations behind the unusual choice, seeming to confirm that they have, indeed, named their child X Æ A-12.
SR-71, but yes
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 6, 2020
However, as TMZ first noted, the state of California might disagree with them. According to the outlet, the state does not allow legal names to contain numbers or symbols. Assuming the baby was in fact born in California where both parents currently reside, this might pose a slight problem.
However, as People clarified, the restriction against numbers and symbols doesn’t exactly make the name illegal, per se, but the state won’t accept it as valid. So while Grimes and Musk aren’t going to face any charges for trying to name their child what they’ve apparently tried to name their child, family law attorney David Glass says a birth certificate with a name like X Æ A-12 will simply be rejected, and the parents will be asked to resubmit a different, more alphabetical name.
“In California, you can only use the ‘26 characters’ of the English language in your baby name,” Glass told People. “Thus, you can’t have numbers, Roman numerals, accents, umlauts or other symbols or emojis.” While Glass added that the new parents would have the opportunity appeal the rejection of the birth certificate application, he said an appeal is “unlikely” to be granted.
So in the state of California at least, the Grimes/Musk baby will presumably have to assume a more alpha-typical name. But X Æ A-12 is still a cute nickname.
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