J.R. Martinez Picks Normal Names for Daughter, Goes Against Celeb Trend

By Sami K. Martin, Christian Post Reporter Friday, May 04, 2012

J.R. Martinez and girlfriend Diana Gonzalez-Jones welcomed a baby girl into the world this week, and unlike most celebrity parents, they have chosen a name with a very special meaning to both him and Jones.

Lauryn Anabelle was born on May 2, and both parents decided to pay tribute to sisters they had lost.

"Her first name, Lauryn, is after Diana's younger sister who passed away unexpectedly earlier this year," Martinez told People. "And her middle name, Anabelle, is after my sister who passed away when she was six."

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The baby's name might be the same as her late aunts', but she has a "unique spelling" in order to allow her to "have her own identity," Martinez explained. For now, though, the family is content to call their bundle of joy Belle.

Many are probably relieved that Martinez kept his word when he told People that he wouldn't name his daughter "Apple Cider or Salami. It won't be our favorite dish or our favorite getaway or favorite car or show. It will be something really close and personal to us that feels like we're giving something to her that is very special."

Celebrities have often chosen unique names for their children: Blue Ivy (Beyonce), Maxwell (Jessica Simpson) or Apple (Gwyneth Paltrow). Slate.com recently featured a podcast that discussed the naming of celebrity children and referred to it as "branding." It seems that the crazier, or more unique, a baby name, the more attention that child receives, regardless of the status of his or her parents.

"It became a trend," Richard Spencer of OK! Magazine told the New York Times. "People knew that having kids landed them on celebrity titles. They found ways to court the press and get as much out of it as they could."

Celebrity pregnancies have always been a spectacle for fans and people generally interested in the lifestyles of the rich and famous. Why should naming a child be any different? It's almost as if the world expects a crazy or unique name to solidify the child's status as a celebrity.

For J.R. Martinez, though, that doesn't seem to matter. He and Jones chose names that were special to them and their families.