Gwen Stefani gives birth to a baby boy named Zuma


Gwen Stefan has given birth to a baby boy named Zuma. We were initially relying on E! Online’s report that she gave birth this morning and that the baby’s name is Zuma, but that they weren’t sure about the gender of the newborn. I assumed it was a girl given the name. It turns out that it’s a boy named Zuma Nesta Rock Rossdale.

I am tepid on the name Zuma for a little girl, but it seems kind of off for a boy. That name sounds like one of those jagged word clouds that would pop up during a fight on the old Batman TV show. It’s an onomatopia, not a name, but it’s kind of cute and not stigmatizing. There are certainly worse celebrity baby names. I wasn’t fond of “Birdie,” either, but many of you pointed out that it’s a perfectly common and acceptable name.

According to Think Baby Names, Zuma is a very rare name and is a variant of Zulema, which means peace. Gwen and husband Gavin Rossdale’s first child, Kingston, two, is thought to be named after the capital of Jamaica, which may have been where he was conceived.

Congratulations to Gavin and Gwen on their second child!

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62 Responses to “Gwen Stefani gives birth to a baby boy named Zuma”

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  1. daisy424 says:

    A baby boy, how precious.

  2. Kait says:

    Other places are reporting it’s a baby boy.

  3. Moore says:

    People mag said its a boy. Also, not trying to be rude or bothersome but its the 21st here, right?

  4. Theresa says:

    it’s a boy. their rep confirmed to people.com

  5. Celebitchy says:

    I am super tired and it’s the 22nd here already since it’s 12:30. I’ll correct this. πŸ˜†

  6. elisha says:

    Sounds like that clear beer Zima or whatever. I hope, hope it’s a girl because Zuma sounds very feminine.

  7. Moore says:

    Go get some sleep! I wish I was in bed but its only 5:30 here.

    I don’t know what to think about this little guy’s name. zuma nesta rock rossdale. I’m sure it has meaning to them which matters most. Wish them well with their new addition.
    Does anyone remember kingston’s middle name?

  8. Whitey Fisk says:

    Yep, “Zuma Nesta Rock Rossdale” is a boy. Yowza.

  9. elisha says:

    OK well in defense of C|B for assuming it’s a girl, baby name sites DO say it’s a girl’s name. Not unisex:

    “The girl’s name Zuma z(u)-ma is a variant of Zulema.

    The baby name Zuma sounds like Cyma, Syma, Sima, Cima and Soma. Other similar baby names are Zuba, Yuma and Zulma.

    Zuma is a very rare female first name and a very rare surname (source: 1990 U.S. Census).”

    http://www.thinkbabynames.com/meaning/0/Zuma

    That website also has a pink “female” sign next to it. AAAANNNND! It give “Nesta” as a girl’s name too.

    The name reminds me of Uma Thurman.

  10. Snowblood says:

    Why’d she give her boy not one but TWO girl’s names? That’s damn strange, I wonder why.

    Hey wait – are there 2 Gwen-baby threads here today? πŸ˜† I have all my name-origin posts on the other thread. I looked up the names, too, Elisha, I think we went to the same exact site! πŸ˜†

  11. Enonymous says:

    Pretentious couple alert! They try so desperately to be cool and original. πŸ™„

  12. tvf says:

    Anyone else got the video game music stuck in their heads now?

  13. Celebitchy says:

    I looked up the name when doing the research for the post when all that was known was the name and I found that site Elisha referenced that says it’s a girl’s name, so I just assumed it was a girl, that’s right. It sounds like a girl’s name too.

  14. MISSY says:

    The way she was carrying the baby and how big she got, I really thought it was a girl

  15. oxa says:

    I think it is a hideous name and I have lost respect for the parents for choosing it.

  16. daisy424 says:

    CB You have overworked yourself today. You deserve a neckrub and a bubblebath.

  17. KDRockstar says:

    Didn’t wannabe rappers wear zumas in the 80s?

  18. Codzilla says:

    Zuma is also the name of one of Neil Young’s best albums. (With Crazy Horse, naturally.)

  19. Snowblood says:

    AND it’s an awesome beach right down the street from Malibu, Zuma Beach.

  20. sam says:

    Zuma is also a puzzle type computer game.

    Funny how people comment on name choices. My friend recently gave birth to her 2nd and she kept the name choice secret till the very end, because during the 1st everytime she thought of a name someone would say something that would ruin it like: “oh I had a friend called that who was a b****” or “that reminds me of…”

  21. Celebitchy says:

    Snowblood! Do you think Zuma was conceived there? πŸ˜†

  22. Bodhi says:

    Right on, congrats to the Stefani-Rossdale crew! Its wierd but I like it. Course I’m wierd too

  23. Nan says:

    It’s a stupid name, sorry. How dumb of them.

  24. Plumeria says:

    Nesta is the last name of a popular Italian footballer. Could it be that Gavin’s a fan? He’s English, after all.

  25. Blackalicious says:

    Zuma? It’s different. Beats Pilot Inspecktor I guess. It unfortunately reminds me of Zima that malt liquor crap.
    And the name ‘Rock’ as a middle name is pretty hilarious.

  26. beans says:

    better than audio science sossaman (sp?), who wants A.S.S as a monogram.

  27. AC says:

    its the nesta rock more than the Zuma. Zuma’s kinda cool…

  28. Leandra says:

    Not crazy about that name. Poor kid will have to live with that, but then again it doesn’t really rhyme with anything so maybe he’ll be okay.

  29. Nouvel says:

    Like the Mazda commercial.. ZUM (ZOOM) ZUM, ZUM !!

  30. Aud says:

    What is it with celebrities and these F-ed up names? There’s a dif between wanting your child to stand out and wanting your child scarred for life. Holy hell!

  31. RAN says:

    I don’t think much of the name, but it’s not my kid so all I’m going to say is Congratulations to the new parents! And Congrats to Kingston too! He gets to be the big brother – what an awesome job!

  32. Bodhi says:

    Here here RAN! πŸ˜€

  33. Teagen says:

    Sorry, but that’s just an awful name. D:

  34. WTF?!?! says:

    If it’s onomatopoeia, what does noun or verb does “Zuma” sound like/represent?

  35. LiLi says:

    the names def. sound like some kind of drink- a coffee?
    i thought she was having another boy.
    she seemed like she knew the gender and was a bit bummed.
    perk up, gwennie, i’m sure zuma will be as cute as kingston

  36. mouth.like.a.sailor says:

    nesta is from “robert nesta marley” it was bob marley’s middle name.

  37. Shane says:

    I can’t get over how bad that baby name sucks.

  38. czarina says:

    How jealous do you think Zuma is going to be of big brother Kingston’s name in the not-too-distant future?
    On the bright side, it sounds like a superhero, which is kind of cute.
    Well, just happy that Gwen had the baby at last and that everyone’s healthy.

  39. paris herpes says:

    Zuma Nesta Rock sounds like a retirement home in Scottsdale, AZ. Terrible terrible name but not as bad as Moon Unit or anyting. Zuma also reminds me of a drinking game…go to dlisted to find out from MK!

  40. Syko says:

    I thought Kingston was an awful name at first, but it’s grown on me because that is one of the cutest little boys ever. Maybe we’ll get used to Zuma too.

    **patting self on back for naming son Michael**

  41. KateNonymous says:

    Isn’t “Nesta” the name of the female unicorn in Piers Anthony’s Apprentice Adept series? Why two girl names? Is “Rock” supposed to balance them out?

  42. HS says:

    the only thing I get from that name is the theme song to that kid’s show that was on PBS.
    Zoom-
    zooma zooma zooma zoom…

  43. cara says:

    Nesta – the Hon. Robert Nesta Berhain Selassie Marley

    nice.

  44. enchantress says:

    Zuma = peace — I guess Pax was already taken?

    Welcome to the world little guy πŸ™‚

  45. dovesgate says:

    Google “Numa Numa Dance” and you will see what will be mocking poor Zuma in the years to come. Fat white boy lipsynching a german song. Its hilarious!

  46. Mairead says:

    Congrats to the happy family :mrgreen:

    I think most of you can guess what I think of the name – there’s unusual and then there’s just odd. I mean, can you honestly picture yourself shouting “Zuma, c’mere, your dinner’s ready”?
    As for it being a rare girl’s name – I think it’s just plain made up. After all, the source for that is a website that thinks Mairead (even gets the pronounciation wrong – there are at least 7 ways to pronounce the name and none of them are “ma-reed” sounds like Mirta? πŸ˜•

    But Zuma is a very nice restaurant in Kilkenny though πŸ˜‰

  47. Feather says:

    Zuma is also South Africans future presidents surname (Jacob Zuma)

  48. someone says:

    Congrats to the couple, hope the name was wrong….nesta rock????

  49. jaundicemachine says:

    I think it’s cute. Built-in individuality.

  50. Anni says:

    well…reminds me of montezuma…the aztec emperor…in german there is a saying: “revenge of montezuma” meaning: to suffer from diarrhea

  51. Larissa says:

    urgh,awful name

  52. geronimo says:

    Not too keen on the Nesta, doesn’t sit easy with the Zuma, but, call me crazy, I actually like Zuma.

    Ha! Anni. A wrath of the Gods name.

  53. SeVen says:

    I like it personally. It has meaning to it as far as we know, and from what we gathered on Kingstons’ name he was named after things Gavin related too. Gwen has always been kinda rasta so maybe this name is things she relates to…

    Heres looking to baby #3 a few years down the road so Gwen can try for a girl πŸ™‚

    Welcome to the World Zuma!

  54. Meredith says:

    Anni, that’s the first thing I thought of, too, montezuma’s revenge πŸ™‚ I don’t like this name but hey, it’s not mine. Kingston will be an awesome big brother – congrats to the family no matter what the name πŸ™‚

  55. tp Vero says:

    Zuma means ‘abundance’ in the Chumash Indian language. The Chumash lived for 4000 years where Malibu California is now. I wish this new little Zuma and his family all of the abundance that they can handle. I hope he is raised well, is gifted with talent, realizes his special position in life and a acquires a purpose in life to make his life and those around him better. Wouldn’t that be something different for a celebrity offspring!

  56. Kolby says:

    I used to frequent a club called Zuma Beach Club in Orlando, FL back in the day. So, yeah, that’s pretty much all I can think about when I hear the name Zuma.

  57. Anni says:

    watching the olympics right now…thereΒ΄s this runner called nesta and he is from? *dududududud* jamaica! kingston, nesta…get it?

  58. journey says:

    love the name, love all the references people here have made to it– from indians, beaches, the little boy in the car commercial, marley– its fascinating.

    and at least his parents cared enough to give him a unique and personal name that has special meaning to them. and he won’t have fifteen classmates with the same first name! besides, with super cool parents like gwen and gavin i’m sure he’ll grow up to be a happy confident little boy who will be very comfortable with his unique name.

  59. mj says:

    Zuma is strange. Nesta is Bob Marley’s middle name. And Rock just because it couldn’t be any weirder than Zuma I guess.

  60. dfdddDD says:

    Weird name.

  61. JMoy says:

    Zuma is a comic character with a 2 headed snake on his shoulder, LOL. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zuma_(comics)

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