Elon Musk is a lot of things to a lot of people—a rocket scientist, a social media owner, the guy who wants to put chips in our brains. But lately, people aren't talking about Tesla stock or Mars. They’re talking about his living room. Or rather, how many high chairs he needs in it. Honestly, keeping track of the Elon Musk children has become a full-time hobby for the internet, and for good reason. It’s a lot.
Fourteen. That’s the number we’re at right now in early 2026.
It sounds like a typo, but it isn’t. Between his first marriage to Justine Wilson, his off-and-on saga with the musician Grimes, and his partnership with Neuralink executive Shivon Zilis, the family tree has become more of a dense forest. Most people just know the "kid with the weird name," but the reality is way more complicated and, frankly, kind of fascinating once you look at the names he’s choosing.
The "X" Era and Why Names Matter
When Elon Musk children became a mainstream obsession, it started with a single letter. In May 2020, Musk and Grimes (Claire Boucher) welcomed a son they named X Æ A-12. People lost their minds. Was it a code? A math equation?
Eventually, they had to change it to X Æ A-Xii to comply with California law because the state doesn't allow numbers on birth certificates. They just call him "X." You've probably seen him. He’s the one Musk frequently brings to rocket launches and even the Oval Office.
But X wasn't a one-off.
The couple quietly had two more kids:
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- Exa Dark Sideræl Musk: Their daughter, nicknamed "Y." She was born via surrogate in 2021.
- Techno Mechanicus: Also known as "Tau." This one was kept under wraps for a long time until Walter Isaacson’s biography spilled the beans in 2023.
If you're wondering why the names sound like something out of a sci-fi novel, it's because that's exactly what they are. Grimes explained that "Exa" refers to the supercomputing term exaFLOPS, while "Sideræl" is a more "elven" spelling of sidereal—the true time of the universe.
The Shivon Zilis Chapter: Science and Mythology
While the world was focused on "X" and "Y," Musk was also expanding his family with Shivon Zilis, a top executive at his company Neuralink. This part of the story usually trips people up because it happened almost simultaneously with his children with Grimes.
In November 2021, just weeks before "Y" was born, Zilis gave birth to twins. We didn't even know their names until much later. Recently, in January 2026, Musk finally gave us the full breakdown on X.
His son is named Strider Sekhar. "Strider" is a nod to Aragorn from Lord of the Rings, and "Sekhar" is a tribute to Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar, the Indian-American physicist who won a Nobel Prize. His daughter is named Comet Azure. And get this—the name "Comet Azure" is actually inspired by a powerful spell in the video game Elden Ring.
It doesn't stop with the twins.
They also have:
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- Arcadia: A daughter born in February 2024.
- Seldon Lycurgus: A son announced in February 2025.
The name Seldon is almost certainly a reference to Hari Seldon, the mathematician from Isaac Asimov’s Foundation series who predicts the fall of empires. Lycurgus was a legendary Spartan lawmaker. See the pattern? It’s all about legacy, science, and the future of civilization.
The Original Six: Where it All Started
Before the rockets and the Roman numeral names, there was Justine Wilson. She’s an author and Musk's first wife. Their story is actually quite tragic at the start. Their first son, Nevada Alexander, died of SIDS at just 10 weeks old in 2002. It’s a piece of the Elon Musk children history that many people overlook, but it clearly shaped his views on family.
Through IVF, they later had twins and triplets:
- Griffin and Vivian: Born in 2004.
- Kai, Saxon, and Damian: Born in 2006.
Vivian has made headlines of her own. In 2022, she legally changed her name and gender, distancing herself entirely from Musk. She told the court she no longer wants to be related to her biological father "in any way, shape, or form." It’s a stark reminder that despite the "pronatalist" public image, the private dynamics are just as messy as any other family’s.
Why Does He Have So Many Kids?
You might think it's just a billionaire being eccentric, but Musk talks about this constantly. He’s terrified of "underpopulation." To him, the declining birth rate is a bigger threat to humanity than global warming. He basically views having children as a civic duty to save civilization.
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Some people find this "pronatalist" stance inspiring; others find it a bit "Great Replacement" adjacent or just plain weird. Regardless of where you land, he's definitely practicing what he preaches.
What Happened Recently with Romulus?
The latest addition to the count is Romulus, a son born in late 2024. The mother is Ashley St. Clair, a conservative influencer. This situation is a bit more litigious than the others. St. Clair sued for sole custody in 2025, claiming Musk has barely seen the child.
This brings the total confirmed count to 14.
(Though, if you listen to certain rumors or deleted tweets, some people think there might be more.)
Actionable Insights for Following the Story
If you're trying to keep up with the ever-changing landscape of the Musk family, here is how to cut through the noise:
- Check the Source: Musk usually reveals name meanings in replies on X (formerly Twitter). Don't trust "leaked" names until you see him or the mothers confirm them.
- Understand the Vocabulary: Most of the names are rooted in three things: Sci-fi (Asimov/Tolkien), Physics (Astrophysics/Supercomputing), and Classical History (Sparta/Rome).
- Look at the Timeline: Several of these births overlapped. The "secret" nature of the births isn't usually about hiding the kids forever, but about maintaining privacy during the infant stage.
- Follow the Legal Filings: Most "new" children are discovered through name-change petitions in Texas or California courts rather than press releases.
The Musk family isn't just a tabloid fixture; it's a reflection of his obsession with the future. Whether he’s naming a kid after a video game spell or a Nobel laureate, he's clearly trying to build a "legion" that shares his intellectual DNA.