Grimes and Elon Musk won’t be able to legally register their new baby’s name as X Æ A-12 in California.
That’s because in California, where the baby was born, official names can only include the 26 letters of the English alphabet, an apostrophe for names like O’Connor, and a hyphen. In other words, Grimes’ baby’s birth certificate may sport an unusual name, but it will likely not include an “Æ.”
David Glass, a family law attorney who spoke with People, confirmed as much.
“[Grimes and Musk] have an opportunity to appeal the rejection of the birth certificate application but it’s unlikely that it will be granted because, again, California … has been struggling with using symbols,” he told the publication.
•X, the unknown variable ⚔️
•Æ, my elven spelling of Ai (love &/or Artificial intelligence)
•A-12 = precursor to SR-17 (our favorite aircraft). No weapons, no defenses, just speed. Great in battle, but non-violent 🤍
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(A=Archangel, my favorite song)
(⚔️🐁 metal rat)— ☘︎𝔊𝔯𝔦𝔪𝔢𝔰࿎ (@Grimezsz) May 6, 2020
This is not a new issue for many Californians. In 2015, the Guardian reported that names popular in the Latinx community such as José and Ramón are in fact recorded on official documents as “Jose” and “Ramon.”
“The handbook,” reports the Guardian, “issued by the department of health’s office of vital records, clarifies that hyphens and apostrophes are allowed while accents are termed ‘unacceptable’.”
