All in all, what’s in a celebrity baby name?
Here are five reasons why Chicago is actually a great choice for Kanye and Kim Kardashian West’s baby
After the surrogate birth of a third child for Kanye and Kim Kardashian West, they took to Kim’s app (duh) to officially announce the name of their daughter. It’s Chicago. Yes, like the city. Twitter immediately erupted with jokes about the unusual moniker, as is to be expected with any Kardashian-Jenner baby news. Why didn’t they choose Wild Wild? At least it’s not Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri West. But it kind of sounds like the name of a hospital, no?
But hear us out: Chicago is actually a great name for the baby girl. It might even be perfect. Here are a few reasons why:
Kanye’s ties to his hometown are quite meaningful
After his parents divorced when he was three, Kanye and his mother, Donda, moved to Chicago. He grew up in Oak Lawn and references the city in his work quite often, most prominently in the 2007 song Homecoming.
Rumour has it the Wests named their first daughter North because she represented a high point in their lives. Saint was reportedly chosen for their second child because he was a blessing after Kim’s difficult pregnancy. Chicago seems to be just as special to the couple.
Several photos of Kanye have circulated the web, and he’s beaming. Beaming! How often do you see this man without his trademark scowl? Let him have it.
We eventually get used to these odd celebrity baby names
Fine, mom, we wouldn’t jump off a bridge if all our friends did. But if other celebrities name their kids after unusual objects or concepts, why shouldn’t Kimye? Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin named their daughter Apple, which ended up fitting well with the Biblical theme established by their second kid, Moses. We all thought Blue Ivy was a weird choice, but now Beyoncé gets to call her Azul when she sings in Spanish.
This family is all about staying relevant
The Kardashian-Jenner clan is all about staying in the news, and a name like this one is likely to keep the West branch of the family there for a while. Until Kylie and Khloe’s babies dominate the headlines, anyway.
It’s also worth noting that everything Chicago-related in pop culture will also have a Kardashian West connection. This kid shares the name with a rock band, a defiant poem by Carl Sandburg, a fantastic Sufjan Stevens song, a Tony-winning musical and all that jazz.
It’s not that unusual to name your kid after a city
BuzzFeed reporter Sylvia Obell made a good point: If city names like Brooklyn and Paris have been accepted for children, why not Chicago? There’s not much else to say here.
Finally, Chi is an adorable nickname
We like Nori, and Saintie is pretty cute, too, if less creative. Chi, pronounced “shy,” might be the best of those three nicknames. Not only does it remind us of Lena Waithe’s heartfelt Showtime series about the city, The Chi, but it also has exceptional rhyming capabilities. Kanye’s going to have some fun with this one.