Celebrities seem to pride themselves on picking unique baby names. This is, after all, the same week in which Elon Musk and Grimes welcomed X Æ A-12 into the world. So wouldn’t it be surprising to know that someone as trendsetting and iconic as Chloë Sevigny and her art gallerist boyfriend had named their son something like, say, John?
They kind of did just that. On Wednesday, Sevigny announced that her baby boy, born on May 2, is named Vanja Sevigny Mačković.
“Welcome to the world Vanja Sevigny Mačković. Born May 2nd New York City,” the actor wrote on Instagram. “Thank you to all the staff at Mt. Sinai East for your bravery, perseverance and kindness, especially the nurses for being so gentle and patient. Blessings to all the other families giving birth during this time. #ilovemyboys”
So, how is it we’re saying this kid is sort of named John?
“Vanja/Vanya is a Slavic diminutive of the name Ivan,” Jennifer Moss, the founder of BabyNames.com and host of the Baby Names Podcast, told SheKnows. “So Vanja would be to Ivan as Jimmy is to James. Although it has become a name in and of itself in many cultures, like Sasha, the diminutive for Alexander.”
Ivan comes from the Greek Ioannes, which is a form of John. All of those names mean “God’s gift.”
The baby’s first and last names are Croatian, like his dad, Siniša Mačković. Just a generation or two ago, immigrant and first-generation parents were less willing to give their children names that weren’t English, so he totally would have been called John or Ivan. Thankfully, we’re a little less xenophobic today.
“I think Americans are more comfortable now using more ethnic names, as being unique is more acceptable now in our current culture,” Moss told us. “And they’re choosing ethnic names from their own cultures in order to honor their culture and ancestry.”
Vanja seems like a suitable name for the son of such effortlessly cool parents as his.
Chloë Sevigny just joined the club of celebrities who became moms after 40.
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