You’ve seen the headlines. You’ve probably tried to pronounce that string of characters that looks more like a Wi-Fi password than a human name. Honestly, keeping track of every Elon Musk child name has become a bit of a full-time job for internet sleuths. As of early 2026, the count sits at 14 known children, though the "known" part is always doing a lot of heavy lifting when it comes to the Tesla CEO.
It’s not just about the "X" and the "Y" anymore. The list has grown to include everything from Roman-inspired monikers to names pulled straight out of high-level physics and science fiction.
The Names That Broke the Internet
When Musk and the musician Grimes welcomed their first child in 2020, the world collectively went, "Wait, what?" They named him X Æ A-12. It was a mess of characters that California law eventually forced them to change to X Æ A-Xii because you can't have numbers in a legal name in that state.
Basically, the "X" stands for the unknown variable. The "Æ" is Grimes’s elven spelling of Ai (love/artificial intelligence). The "A-12" refers to the Archangel-12, a precursor to the SR-71 aircraft. They just call him "X" at home. Simple enough, right? Sorta.
Then came the daughter, Exa Dark Sideræl Musk, nicknamed "Y."
- Exa refers to the supercomputing term exaFLOPS.
- Dark is a nod to "the unknown" and dark matter.
- Sideræl (pronounced sigh-deer-ee-el) is a more "elven" take on sidereal, which is about star time rather than our boring earthly time.
But wait, there’s a third one with Grimes. Revealed much later in Walter Isaacson’s biography, Techno Mechanicus (nicknamed "Tau") joined the crew. If you’re getting Warhammer 40k vibes from that name, you aren't the only one.
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The Neuralink Connection: Shivon Zilis
While the Grimes era was taking up all the oxygen in the room, Musk was also busy building a "legion" with Neuralink executive Shivon Zilis. This part of the family tree is a bit more grounded in terms of names, but only just.
They have twins named Strider Sekhar Sirius and Azure Astra Alice. They were born in late 2021, just weeks before Musk's second child with Grimes. It’s a lot to keep track of.
More recently, the Zilis-Musk branch grew again. In early 2024, they welcomed a daughter named Arcadia. And just when you thought the dust had settled, February 2025 brought the announcement of their fourth child together: a son named Seldon Lycurgus.
Zilis described Seldon as being "built like a juggernaut." The name Seldon is almost certainly a nod to Hari Seldon, the protagonist of Isaac Asimov’s Foundation series, which Musk has cited as a massive influence on his worldview. Lycurgus? That's likely a reference to the quasi-legendary lawgiver of Sparta.
The First Chapter: Justine Wilson
We can't talk about these names without mentioning the original five. Before the rocket ships and the X (formerly Twitter) drama, there was Justine Wilson.
Their first son, Nevada Alexander, tragically passed away at just 10 weeks old. It’s a piece of history that adds a layer of weight to Musk’s public obsession with birth rates.
After Nevada, they had twins and triplets via IVF:
- Griffin and Vivian (born 2004).
- Kai, Saxon, and Damian (born 2006).
Vivian has since legally changed her name to distance herself from her father, citing a desire to sever all ties. It's a reminder that while these names are fun for the public to dissect, there are real people living with them.
The 2025-2026 Additions and "The Romulus Claim"
The rumor mill hasn't stopped. In early 2025, conservative influencer Ashley St. Clair claimed she also had a child with Musk. The name? Romulus.
If true, that brings the total to 14. Romulus, of course, being the legendary founder of Rome. It fits the pattern—Musk seems to be moving away from the "coding" names of the Grimes era and into a "Empire Building" phase of nomenclature.
Why Does He Do It?
People love to mock the names. They call them "Scrabble tiles" or "serial numbers." But if you look at the meanings, there is a very clear thread. Every Elon Musk child name is an Easter egg for his obsessions:
- Physics and Math: (Exa, Tau, X)
- Aviation and Space: (Archangel, Sideræl, Astra)
- History and Classics: (Lycurgus, Romulus)
- Science Fiction: (Seldon, Strider)
Musk has been vocal about "underpopulation" being the biggest threat to civilization. He isn't just having kids; he's seemingly trying to breed a specific type of legacy.
Actionable Insights for the Curious
If you're trying to keep the pronunciations straight for your next trivia night, here is the cheat sheet:
- X Æ A-Xii: Pronounce it "X Ash A Twelve."
- Sideræl: "Sigh-deer-ee-el."
- Tau: Just like the Greek letter (rhymes with "how").
- Exa: Like the start of "Exabyte."
For those following the legal or social implications, keep an eye on court filings in Travis County, Texas. That's where most of the name-change petitions and custody documents for the younger children have surfaced.
The pattern suggests that we haven't seen the last of the "Empire" names. Whether it’s another Roman general or a character from a 1950s space opera, the next Musk baby is almost guaranteed to have a name that requires a Wikipedia search to understand.
Stay updated on the official social media accounts of the mothers (Grimes and Shivon Zilis), as they are now the primary sources for these reveals, often bypassing traditional press releases entirely.