Grimes and Elon Musk probably can't legally name their child 'X Æ A-12' per California's birth registration handbook

• Elon Musk and Grimes announced the birth their first child together on May 4.
• Musk tweeted that the child's name was "X Æ A-12," sparking discussion online regarding the name's meaning, pronunciation, and legality.
• Per California's birth registration handbook, the name would appear to not be allowed as it contains characters other than the 26 alphabetical characters of the English language. 
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Grimes and Elon Musk announced the birth of their first child together on May 4, and instantly, the internet was alight with questions. Most pervasive, however, were questions about the child's name, which Musk later tweeted was "X Æ A-12 Musk."

The first question on most people's minds was how to pronounce it. Grimes and Musk have both given different versions so the jury is still out on that one. 

After that, there were only more questions, one of which was whether or not Musk and Grimes (whose real name is Claire Boucher) could actually name their child X Æ A-12.

Business Insider's Avery Hartmans reported that per California's birth registration handbook, baby names can only include the 26 alphabetical characters of the English language, with the exception of hyphens or apostrophes in the case of names like "O'Hare" or "Smith-Jones." Names cannot include numeric characters or diacritical marks like "ñ" or "ç," which are used to signify pronunciation.

People Magazine spoke with family law attorney David Glass regarding the name. He said that while the name wasn't technically illegal, it probably couldn't be accepted by the state, and if Musk and Grimes attempted to submit a birth certificate with "X Æ A-12" listed as the name, it would likely be rejected. 

Of course, there are still more questions, notably what it actually means, which Grimes clarified on Instagram. For now, however, it appears that the child's birth certificate will potentially have to list a different name other than "X Æ A-12."

• Read more:
• Meme accounts have convinced people that Elon Musk and Grimes' baby's name is pronounced 'Kyle,' but Grimes has now shared the real pronunciation
• How to pronounce 'X Æ A-12,' the name Elon Musk tweeted he and Grimes gave their new baby
• Elon Musk said his and Grimes' new baby is named X Æ A-12. Grimes broke down the meaning behind each letter of the bizarre moniker.
• Tech billionaire Elon Musk and musician Grimes have had their first child together. Here's where their relationship began and everything that's happened since.

 

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