Why Gwen named her second son Zuma?
By naming their newborn son Zuma Nesta Rock,
Gwen Stefani and Gavin Rossdale “have proven
decisively that they’re masters in choosing names
that are both highly unusual and carry a lot of
personal meaning,” baby name expert Pamela
Redmond Satran, co-author of The Baby Name
Bible, tells Usmagazine.com.
“They’ve continued their own place-naming tradition
by naming their son after Zuma Beach in Malibu,”
Satran explains, citing a profile of Rossdale which
said he had an epiphany that began his career.
“He was standing on Zuma Beach in the early
morning after working all night as a production
assistant on a music video and was quoted as
saying he realized he was wasting his time,” Satran
says. “He drove up the coast, slept in his car, and
started making the moves that would launch his
career.”
Zuma is also the name of a 1975 album by Neil
Young and Crazy Horse.
Nesta, meanwhile, was Bob Marley’s first name
before an immigration official switched it with
his middle name, Robert.
“This name obviously links to big brother Kingston’s
and is another nod to Jamaica and reggae,” says Satran.
Bob Marley’s son Ziggy used Nesta as a middle name
for his son, as did his other son Rohan, who has a son
named John Nesta Marley with singer Lauryn Hill.
The name Rock “needs no explanation,” given that the
baby’s parents are rock stars, Satran says, and the fact
that we’re “long overdue for a Rock Hudson-inspired revival.”
