Elon Musk is basically trying to single-handedly repopulate the planet. If you’ve spent any time on X lately, you’ve probably seen his posts about "underpopulation" being the biggest threat to civilization. Honestly, the man practices what he preaches. But keeping track of the actual number is a full-time job for celebrity reporters.
So, how many children does Musk have as of 2026?
The short answer is 14. Yeah, 14 known children. But the family tree is more like a tangled forest. It spans four different mothers, multiple sets of twins, a set of triplets, and some of the most "out there" names in the history of birth certificates.
The Early Years with Justine Wilson
Musk’s journey into fatherhood started long before he was launching rockets to Mars. He married Canadian author Justine Wilson in 2000. Their first son, Nevada Alexander, was born in 2002. Tragically, Nevada died of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) when he was only 10 weeks old. It’s a piece of his history people often forget, but it clearly shaped his drive to build a massive legacy.
After that heartbreak, they turned to IVF. They had twins, Griffin and Vivian Jenna Wilson, in 2004. Vivian has actually become one of the most talked-about Musk kids recently, but not for the reasons Elon might want. She’s famously estranged from him, legally changing her name and dropping the Musk surname entirely to sever ties.
Then came the triplets in 2006: Kai, Saxon, and Damian. That’s five kids in just a few years. Life was probably chaotic in that household before the couple split in 2008.
The Grimes Era and Those Names
You probably remember the internet melting down when Musk and the musician Grimes (Claire Boucher) announced their first kid's name. X Æ A-12. People didn't even know how to pronounce it. They eventually had to change it to X Æ A-Xii to comply with California law. He just goes by "X" now.
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Most people thought it was just the one kid with Grimes. Nope. They’ve actually had three.
- X Æ A-Xii: Born in 2020.
- Exa Dark Sideræl Musk: Born via surrogate in December 2021. They call her "Y."
- Techno Mechanicus: A "secret" third child whose existence wasn't even public until Walter Isaacson’s biography dropped. They call him "Tau."
The Neuralink Connection: Shivon Zilis
This is where it gets kinda complicated. While Musk was still technically "on-and-off" with Grimes, he welcomed twins with Shivon Zilis, a top executive at his company, Neuralink. Strider and Azure were born in November 2021—just weeks before his second child with Grimes was born. Talk about a busy winter.
But they didn't stop at twins. In early 2024, they had a third child together, a daughter named Arcadia. Then, more recently, Zilis announced a fourth child, Seldon Lycurgus, born in 2025.
Working at Neuralink must be intense enough without co-parenting four kids with the boss.
The Newest Addition: Ashley St. Clair
The most recent update to the "how many children does Musk have" tally involves conservative influencer Ashley St. Clair. In early 2025, she revealed she’d had a son with Musk back in September 2024. His name is Romulus.
This one has been messy. As of January 2026, there’s a full-blown legal battle brewing over custody. Musk has been vocal on X about wanting full custody, sparking a lot of debate about his personal life versus his public persona.
Why Does He Have So Many Kids?
It’s not just a hobby. Musk is a devout "pronatalist." He genuinely believes that if smart people don’t have more kids, human intelligence will dip and civilization will collapse.
"If people don't have more children, civilization is going to crumble. Mark my words." — Elon Musk
He's not just talking; he's investing. He's reportedly donated millions to research on fertility and population trends. Whether you agree with his "save the world through procreation" vibe or find it a bit "Handmaid’s Tale," you can't deny he's committed to the bit.
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What Most People Get Wrong
People often assume all these kids are living in one big "X" mansion. In reality, the family dynamics are incredibly fractured. You’ve got the older kids who want nothing to do with him, the middle kids who attend his experimental "Astra Nova" school, and the toddlers who are basically being raised on private jets.
The idea that he's a "traditional" dad is a total myth. He’s more like a patriarch of a sprawling, digital-age dynasty.
If you're trying to keep up with the Musk family saga, here is the current breakdown to keep in your back pocket:
- Justine Wilson: 5 living children (twins and triplets).
- Grimes: 3 children (X, Y, and Tau).
- Shivon Zilis: 4 children (twins, Arcadia, and Seldon).
- Ashley St. Clair: 1 child (Romulus).
That brings the current total to 13 living children, plus Nevada who passed away. 14 in total.
If you want to understand the man, look at the names. They aren't just names; they're manifestos. From Roman founders (Romulus) to sci-fi references (Seldon, likely from Asimov's Foundation), his kids are a reflection of his obsession with the future and history.
Keep an eye on his X feed. Given his track record, the number 14 probably won't stay the same for long. The next step is watching how the custody battle with St. Clair unfolds, as it might set a massive precedent for how billionaire "pronatalists" navigate family law in the 2020s.