“Tiana was one of the first African princesses, so she is our little princess here!”
Everybody loves a classic Disney film — but some people take their love of all things Disney to the next level! Whether that’s traveling the world to go to Disney parks or always being there for opening night of a new film, Disney definitely holds a special place in their heart.
For some, it means sharing their Disney fandom with their children and actually naming their kids after a Disney character. Even celebrities have gotten involved in the magic, bestowing their children with names inspired by princes, princesses and beloved furry creatures from Disney flicks. While it may not be the right fit for everyone, there’s no doubt these Disney names hold a lot of special meaning.
Find out which stars named their children after Disney characters…
1. Ryan Gosling & Eva Mendes
When Ryan Gosling and Eva Mendes welcomed their first child in 2014, they had a Disney-inspired name in mind. Eva says that their daughter, Esmeralda Amada, was named after the character in the book, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, which was later turned into a Disney movie.
“Ryan and I both love the Esmeralda character from the Victor Hugo novel, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and we just think it’s a beautiful name,” Eva told Violet Grey. “Her middle name is Amada, which was my grandmother’s name. It means ‘beloved’ in Spanish.”
2. Dwayne Johnson & Lauren Hashian
Dwayne Johnson and his wife Lauren Hashian seem to be all about Disney names for their two children. When they welcomed their first daughter in 2015, they named her Jasmine Lia in what seemed to be a nod to the Disney movie, Aladdin. Then, in 2018, the couple announced the arrival of their second daughter, whom they named Tiana Gia — a name that seemed to be inspired by The Princess and the Frog.
3. Rachel Bilson & Hayden Christensen
When Rachel Bilson and Hayden Christensen welcomed their daughter in 2014, they named her Briar Rose in honor of Princess Aurora from Sleeping Beauty. Briar Rose was the name given to the princess by the three fairies who raised her in the forest while protecting her from Maleficent.
“There’s a Disney reference there I suppose. The original Sleeping Beauty is called Briar Rose. We both love all things Disney — but Rachel especially was very keen on the name. We have Disney songs playing around the house 24/7 right now,” Hayden said during an appearance on Hallmark Channel’s Home & Family in 2015.
4. Tia Mowry & Cory Hardrict
Tia Mowry and Cory Hardrict welcomed their daughter Cairo Tiahna in 2018 and gave the little girl a name with a lot of meaning. She explained that Cairo meant “victorious” and Tiahna meant “follower of Christ” — and had some Princess and the Frog inspiration.
“Tiahna is spelled T-I-A-H-N-A so it has Tia in there. Tiahna actually means ‘follower of Christ.’ Also, Tiana was one of the first African princesses, so she is our little princess here!” Tia shared in a video on Facebook.
5. Patrick J. Adams & Troian Bellisario
When Patrick J. Adams and Troian Bellisario decided to name their daughter Aurora, they initially didn’t make the connection to the Disney princess. Instead, they were inspired by Greek and Roman mythology. While people now often connect Aurora’s name to Sleeping Beauty, Troian seems okay with it, while she says Patrick is a little annoyed.
“We learned in Roman mythology that… Aurora …is the goddess of the dawn. And we thought it would be nice that she would be our dawning of a new day in our life… Aurora kept on cropping up in both Patrick and my lives. It just wouldn’t go away,” she explained to Teen Vogue.
She continued, “But now it’s really funny, because I didn’t tell him that Aurora… he didn’t know that Aurora was a Disney princess’s name. I didn’t even think of it, honestly. ‘Cause I was thinking about it in terms of the historical context. So many people now are like, ‘Oh, like a Disney princess?’ And I feel like Patrick’s like, ‘Ugh.'”
6. Ashlee Simpson & Pete Wentz
Ashlee Simpson and Pete Wentz gave their son Bronx Mowgli a name inspired by The Jungle Book. While many people thought the moniker was unusual at first, Pete explained that the story meant a lot to the then-couple.
“We came up with the idea Bronx. We’d been throwing it back and forth a while,” Pete said during an appearance on On Air With Ryan Seacrest, adding that his son’s middle name was Disney-inspired. “The Jungle Book was something that me and Ashlee bonded over. It’s a cool name.”
7. Molly-Mae Hague & Tommy Fury
Love Island stars Molly-Mae Hague and Tommy Fury only had one name in mind for their daughter. The couple chose the Disney-inspired moniker, Bambi, for the little girl as it was a name that Molly-Mae always had her heart set on using.
“There was only one name for our little girl and it was Bambi,” Tommy said during an appearance on Loose Women. “When Molly was young, she only ever wanted to call her daughter one thing and that was Bambi. And I’m not going to be the guy to say no so… and I love the name anyway.”
