Nevermind, 2017 is good, because Amal Clooney gave birth to twins. Parents Amal and George have welcomed little Alexander and Ella Clooney into the world, and even though we've yet to meet the bundles of joy, we can already tell a lot about them not just by their birthdate (they are twin Geminis, after all), but also their names. It's no secret how much work can go into choosing the perfect celebrity baby name, let alone two, so what is the real meaning behind the couple's choices?
If you want to get literal, you gotta look at the Greek. According to Behind The Name and the semester I took in college, Alexander is the Latin form of Αλεξανδρος (Alexandros) which, when broken down, means to defend and help.
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Ella is a little less literal, but when you look at its full form, Eleanor, there's actually a lot of history. It's derived from the Occitan name Aliénor, which is a combination of "alia" and "Aenor," meaning "other Aenor," used to distinguish Eleanor of Aquitaine from her mother.
Pamela Redmond Satran, CEO and co-creator of Nameberry, told Refinery29 that these were "very conservative choices."
"Ella and Alexander are both fashionable classics that go well together," she added.
Since the news just broke, we're sure we're going to find out more about the little ones as the days go by. Right now, we just hope the new mother is recovering and, of course, that Alexander and Ella are as healthy as can be!
Welcome to Mothership: Parenting stories you actually want to read, whether you're thinking about kids or not, from egg-freezing to taking home baby and beyond. Because motherhood is a big if — not when — and it's time we talked about it that way.