Since Elon Musk and Grimes announced the birth of their baby, they have been getting an intense amount of attention over the infant’s unusual name. The baby, named X Æ A-12 Musk, is healthy and adorable, but his parents have had to answer a lot of questions about what the name means as well as how it is pronounced—and even if it is legal in the state of California.
On Thursday, Grimes went on her Instagram to explain how her baby’s name is pronounced.
“It’s just X, like the letter X. Then A.I. Like how you said the letter A then I,” Grimes wrote.
However, Musk told podcaster Joe Rogan the name had a different pronunciation.
“First of all, my partner is the one that, actually, mostly, came up with the name,” Musk said. “Yeah, she’s great at names.”
Rogan then asked how to say it. Musk explained, “I mean it’s just X, the letter X. And then, the Æ is, like, pronounced ‘Ash’… and then, A-12, A-12 is my contribution.”
Grimes explained the meaning of her son’s name in Twitter post. She said “X” stood for “the unknown variable,” while Æ was shorthand for artificial intelligence and translates to “love” in several languages. She also explained that a part of her son’s name is a reference to the couple’s favorite aircraft: “A-12 = precursor to SR-17 (our favorite aircraft). No weapons, no defenses, just speed. Great in battle, but non-violent.” Musk later said it was actually the SR-71, but Grimes was like, give me a break, I just had a baby ffs.
Musk, who has five children from a previous marriage, said being older has given him perspective on babies.
“Actually I think it’s better being older and having a kid,” said Musk. “I appreciate it more. Babies are awesome.”