Tina Knowles Revealed the Special (& Surprising!) Origin of Daughter Beyoncé’s Name
There’s only one Queen Bey, but did you know there are actually several Beyoncés? Tina Knowles just opened up about the origin of her eldest daughter’s iconic name, and we are floored by the surprising information.
In an interview with Vogue Magazine’s The Run Through podcast, the businesswoman and fashion designer shared that “Beyoncé” is actually her maiden name! “When I was gonna have a baby — we have very few boys, and so I was like, ‘Oh god, this name is gonna become extinct.’”
Tina Knowles at “Giants: Art from the Dean Collection of Swizz Beatz and Alicia Keys” held at the Brooklyn Museum on February 6, 2024 in New York, New York. (Photo by John Nacion/WWD via Getty Images)
Amazing right? We knew the moniker was special, but had no idea the meaningful family connection it had. Tina also shared that passing on this name represented personal growth for her, who used to not like her name.
“When I was a little kid, my name was Celestine Beyoncé,” she said. “And during the time that I was a kid — I was born in 1954 — I wanted my name to be Linda Smith or Judy Green. You know, those really cute little names. And then when I got to be older, it started growing on me, and people would say, ‘that’s a pretty name.’ And I was like, ‘really?’ So, then it grew on me, and I loved it.” We’re so glad she came around, because can you imagine if Beyoncé was named Linda or Judy?!
Tina’s maiden name has its own unique history as well. Tina shared that her family name began as Boyancé, but that it “got Americanized when my parents got to Texas because my mom said she wanted it to rhyme with ‘fiancé.” After that change, there were further differences as well when the hospital administration spelled their last names wrong on their birth certificates.
Tina Knowles and Beyoncé at Luar RTW Fall 2024 as part of New York Ready to Wear Fashion Week held on February 13, 2024 in New York, New York. (Photo by Nina Westervelt/WWD via Getty Images)
“Me and my brother, we’re the only B-E-Y-O-N-C-É,” she said. “And then my other brothers are B-E-Y-I-N-C-É. So for me to claim [the name] is really good.”
A clip of the interview was posted on TikTok, with commenters in awe of this sweet family history. “That’s such a beautiful history of a name,” one person wrote. Another said, “Everything happens for a reason. LOVE IT ✨”
“And now the whole world will remember their family name FOREVER 😍💕.”
The “Texas Hold ‘Em” singer, who wore a “Beyincé” sash to promote her latest album, Cowboy Carter, was actually “bullied a bit” as a kid, according to another video interview Tina did with Vogue. “Beyoncé, she was very shy,” she shared, adding, “The day that she stood up for someone … she didn’t stand up for herself, she stood up for them. I’m getting emotional talking about it. I couldn’t have been more proud of her.”
Beyoncé and Blue Ivy Carter (Francis Specker/CBS via Getty Images)
Beyoncé is a mom herself now, to daughter Blue Ivy, 12, and 6-year-old twins Rumi and Sir, with husband Jay-Z. The rapper shared that their eldest daughter has a special origin story as well in an October interview with Gayle King on CBS. “Her name was meant to be Brooklyn,” the “Empire State of Mind” rapper shared. “But when we got the sonogram, you know it’s super small, and we were calling her ‘Blueberry.’ Like, ‘Look at the little blueberry!’”
“It was a nickname for nine months … it was just natural,” he added. “We just took the berry off and called her Blue.”
These little accidents turned into the most iconic names ever. Now, we can’t imagine a world where Beyoncé and Blue were named anything else!
From Elara to Apollo, here are a fewmoon-inspired baby names for your little one.
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