Celebrity

Gwyneth Paltrow Explains How Apple Martin Received Her Unique Name

Still the apple of her eye.

The celebrity baby name world is a weird and wonderful place. From Kim Kardashian’s daughter North West to Nicole Kidman’s daughter Sunday Rose — Hollywood A-listers certainly know what makes a memorable (or controversial) name. 

Apple Martin, daughter of Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin, undoubtedly has one of the most unique names out there. When the then-couple first released the name in 2004, it was met with global confusion (and even outrage) as people struggled to understand why on earth the pair would name their child after a fruit. 

While Paltrow has previously defended the name choice, the actress has recently shed even further light on their decision during an Instagram Q&A. 

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“Her dad came up with the name and I fell in love with it,” she wrote, in response to a question about the name “I thought it was original and cool. I can’t imagine her being called anything else.”

There’s no denying that Chris Martin has a way with words  after all, he is the front man for the legendary band Coldplay, so he knows how powerful they can be. Maybe we shouldn’t be surprised that his creative brain was the powerhouse behind the now-infamous name. 

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Back in 2004, Gwyneth addressed the name while appearing on The Oprah Winfrey Show. 

“When we were first pregnant, her daddy said, ‘If it’s a girl I think her name should be Apple.’ It sounded so sweet, and it conjured such a lovely picture for me, you know,” she told Winfrey. “Apples are so sweet and they’re wholesome and it’s biblical, and I just thought it sounded so lovely. “

Then, speaking to the controversy the name had caused, Paltrow admitted that she was taken aback by the reaction considering how common, uncommon baby names are for celebrities. 

“I found it surprising, because there are people named Rose or Lily or Ivy or June. You know, lots of pretty nouns,” she explained, before Oprah added that her daughter could well be the first Apple. 

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Paltrow, who also shares a son with Martin named Moses (16) and the now 17-year-old Apple, joked with her ex-husband that Elon Musk and Grimes’ baby name has overtaken them in the controversial name game. 

#ChrisMartin I think we got beat for most controversial baby name,” she quipped on Instagram, following the announcement of X Æ A-12 in May 2020. 

Unique name or not, there is no denying that Gwyneth has all the love in the world for Apple and recently paid tribute to her daughter for International Women’s Day. 

“This woman gives me hope for the future of sisterhood, and for the future of our planet. And this woman has made me the woman I am today more than anyone else,” she wrote. 

According to the Social Security Administration’s baby name tracker, Apple wasn’t listed in the top 1000 baby names for 2020, but Gwyneth clearly has no regrets over her choice. After all, it’s just apples and oranges, right? 

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