Kate Winslet gave birth a few weeks ago, adding a new baby boy to her family which now includes one child per husband. Mia’s father is Jim Threapleton, Joe’s father is Sam Mendes, and now Kate’s third husband Ned RockNRoll has contributed an heir as well. Kate didn’t announce the name immediately, and many of us were having fun with the idea of what kind of name Kate and Ned would give their boy, and if the kid would even have the RockNRoll name. Turns out… the name is… different. BEAR WINSLET. Seriously. They named the kid Bear Winslet.
Talk about animal magnetism. Kate Winslet and her husband of one year, Ned Rocknroll, have named their newborn son Bear Winslet, a spokesperson for Winslet confirms to PEOPLE.
The Oscar winner welcomed her third child on Dec. 7 at a National Health Service hospital near the West Sussex home she shares with her husband and children, Mia, 13 and Joe, 10.
In the weeks leading up to baby Bear’s arrival, Winslet, 38, had been seen relaxing, dining out and taking in a London theater show with friends.
Rocknroll, 35, who works on his uncle Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic project, was previously called Abel Smith before officially changing his name.
Other famous Bears, aside from Paddington and Smokey, include the British adventurer Bear Grylls and Alicia Silverstone‘s son, Bear Blu.
My first thought was not Bear Grylls or Bear Blu or even Paddington. My first thought was “Hey, isn’t that what Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart named their rescue puppy?” And it’s true. K-Stew and Sparkles’ dog is named Bear Stewart-Pattinson (I might be making up the hyphenate) and they share custody of Bear. And while Kate can name her babies whatever she wants, I do tend to think “Bear” is either a nickname or a dog’s name. Plus, you’re putting a lot on this kid – Bear Winslet could never be a nerdy, geeky, asthmatic kid, right? He’s GOT to be an outdoorsman, someone tough and salt of the earth.
Also… why the Winslet surname? Why not Bear RockNRoll? Or Bear Winslet-RockNRoll?
Photos courtesy of WENN.
It’s not as uncommon as one might think. I know more than one person legitimately named Bear. I like it.
I can’t even dislike it. There are much worse things the kid could be named.
Really? I think it’s horrible. Especially when I translate it.
I don’t like the name either, but Spooks – translating names into other languages is not always a good idea. In Poland there are many normal, proper, not-that-weird names which sound ridiculous after translating them to English i.e. Malina – which translates to Raspberry (the Scandinavian version is Malin like Malin Akerman), Bożydar – God’s Gift or Sława – Fame. My cousin is called Jagoda – Berry. Also in Czech Republic there are normal names which sound like swearwords in my language.
I finally have a good opportunity to share with you that the word Pi(p)pa has a very vulgar meaning in my country (it’s a slang name for female genitals and it’s slightly less offensive than a c-word but more offensive than pussy) which caused a lot of embarassment during the royal wedding when all the journalists and the guests invited to give a tv commentary (proffesors, etiquette experts, aristocrats etc.) had to talk about Pippa Middleton. They were blushing, pausing, stuttering – hilarious. I know it’s a completely normal name in England but imagine that you’d have to talk to someone from other country and keep calling them something offensive. I’m moving to England very soon and I hope I will never have to call anyone Pippa.
I know about the translating, I just said that it sounds even more ridiculous when translated. Many of the names you mentioned have a similar meaning here in Croatia – Malina- rasberry, Božidar – God’s gif, Slava or Slavica – Fame, Jagoda – strawberry. Pipa means faucet. Some foreign names have a funny meaning here like, Kaka ( footall player) – poop, or Gad ( Charlotte’s baby daddy) – bastard.
Two of my favourite names sound funny when translated to English – Dunja – Quince
and Morana – the Slavic godess of death ( great name for a child, no? )
To Norman : actually Pippa is short for Philippa, her real name
My Uncle’s name is Bear Raymond. Its pretty cool and we didnt have to go through the trouble of giving him a nick name.
Fanny is another word for vagina in Australia. It was quite funny when fanny packs first came out.
I actually really like the name, especially with her last name. I think it sounds rugged yet cozy and dignified.
Me too, emmie!
My uncles name is Bear. I don’t understand what the big deal is. My fathers name is Guy. We’re Canadian. Maybe it’s a Canadian thing..
I had higher hopes for her. Very disappointing.
Yea, really. I am just done with her.
Me too, Spooks, me too.
Ditto! I am sorry, everyone, but she is officially off her rocker.
I know, right? She used to be so frickin’ cool. What happened?
Same. I used to really like her. Those days are over.
Seriously, Bear? I don’t know, maybe it’s because I’m not Anglo-Saxon and all the non-traditional names sound a bit weird to me (by traditional I mean Thomas, Peter, David, etc.) and I also find the trend of picking super “original” names silly but Bear? What the hell is wrong with those people? Poor kid.
I’m disappointed about the name as well, especially since Winslet has given her older kids beautiful and sensible names – Mia and Joe.
She said some time ago that she was not planning on giving the baby the ‘Rock’n’roll’ last name so I’m thinking that she may have reached an agreement with her husband where she picked ‘Winslet’ for the last name and he provided ‘Bear’ for the first name… not making excuses for her, just going by her past choices with baby names.
Hopefully this baby was given a middle name.
That poor child
Yeah. You know no one is school is ever going to call him Naked Corset. – https://ladywilhelmine.wordpress.com/tag/kate-winslet-corset/
Why NOT “Winslet”? He clearly changed his last name just for him. She kept hers. It maes MORE sense for the baby to be a Winslet, in my mind.
+1
Especially given the fact that she did, you know, carry the baby for 9 months and then give birth to him. I reckon she – and every other mother if she so chooses – has earned the right to give her child her name.
I think the point being made is that Kate acted like it was preposterous that her kid would have the ghastly last name Rocknroll, but then she went and gave him an equally ghastly first name, so why not just give him both?
And beyond that, it’s a legit question given that her other two kids each have his and her fathers’ last names. If you are going to throw a fit about WHY SHOULDNT SHE NAME THE BABY WINSLET?!, then you should be equally “perplexed” about why the other two are Threapleton and Mendes.
”If you are going to throw a fit about WHY SHOULDNT SHE NAME THE BABY WINSLET?!, ”
I think you might like to read my comment again, and ask yourself which of us might best be described as ‘throwing a fit’.
I wasn’t the one who used the all caps first. So it’s still not me.
I didn’t use “all caps”, I capitalized words for stress, because the italics function is not working.
What I don’t understand is why she married a guy with that last name, if she thought it was ridiculous, and then proceeded to have a kid with said guy. If she really hated his last name *that* much, then she would’ve either said ‘Change it or we aren’t getting married’ or she wouldn’t have gotten with him at all. It’s obvious (based on the other two kids’ names) that the baby’s last name is Winslet because his father’s last name is Rocknroll, not because she doesn’t believe in kids having the same name as their father. Which I don’t understand why she didn’t just give him the last name Branson.
I think that kid should feel really happy about getting the Winslet, at least. I think Bear is cute as a nickname, but I don’t like cutesy “original” names and do think people should give their name choices the Supreme Court justice test, I guess. Of course, I suppose children of celebrities generally don’t ever become Supreme Court justices, nor do they have to worry about what HR recruiters think of their original names on a resume (for the rest of us, these tend to go directly into the “do not contact” pile).
Bear Rocknroll sounds like a Disney Jr. character.
My nail tech used to date a guy named Bear, but it was a nickname because he was a big bear of a guy. I don’t get naming your kid that as his formal, legal name. And Alicia Silverstone did it too? LOL
Well, I guess it’s a good thing the kid will be rich enough not to care about all the ribbing he’s going to get on the playground.
I had a patient who named his son Bear.
When I laughed asked “no really, what’s his name” an awkward silence ensued. Coincidentally, I grew up with two chows (Lady Bear and Smokey Bear) and loved them very much.
I’m all for creative names to some extent but people need to use some damn sense when it comes to their children.
Agreed. I think the name change to Ned Rocknroll has got to be some colossal inside joke. He is either a genuine jokester (goading people into saying his name with a straight face) or a complete tool. Thank God they had the sense not to saddle the child with his so called surname.
Bear isn’t so bad…I shudder to think of what Gwen Stefani is gonna name her 3rd child.
^^this!
triple this^^
That and her relentless interviews about “doing it all”
Mia, Joe and Bear. Hmm.
^^This! How do you go from Mia and Joe to Bear? She obviously let her hippie husband do the naming.
Two more things:
1. “Also… why the Winslet surname? Why not Bear RockNRoll? Or Bear Winslet-RockNRoll?” Really? This question must be a joke.
2. Are we sure Winslet isn’t his middle name?
They announced a while back that Winslet would be their child’s last name.
Sorry, but that is an awful name for a baby. He might just about get away with it as a little boy, but once he’s grown up I can see him doing what his dad did and changing his name.
Both of Kate’s other children have very normal names so I suspect Mr. Rocknroll’s influence here. Jamie Oliver, a well-known UK TV chef (not sure if he’s famous in the US), called his only son Buddy Bear, so maybe that’s where they got the idea.
I love Jamie Oliver, but Buddy Bear is awful. Like Apple and Moses or Zuma – awful.
Well, his daughters are called Poppy Honey, Daisy Blu and Petal Blossom so I suppose his son was never going to get away with Tom or Michael.
Daisy and Poppy are normal names, no?
Daisy yes (I’m not sure if they use the ‘Boo’ part) but I’ve never met a girl called Poppy, let alone Petal.
I like Moses as a name–not the other ones. I don’t get why they didn’t just give him a ‘normal’ name, and then call him Bear.
I like Poppy and Daisy well enough, and could tolerate Petal under some circumstances, but the combination of those names plus middle names like Honey and Blossom is sickeningly twee.
Ice Maiden: what about Poppy Montgomery, the fairly well-known actress? She was born Poppy Petal Donahue, so she takes care of both names!
That’s my guess as well. Someone who named her first two children Mia and Joe doesn’t seem prone to choosing unusual names.
My guess? Her husband was planning on the child carrying on the Rocknroll family name, Kate put her foot down, and as a concession she agreed to be more open to an odd first name.
It can be dangerous giving the husband free rein. I have a friend with a son named Achilles James (he goes by AJ), which her husband insisted on. The irony is the husband goes by CJ because he hates his own name – Conrad Julius.
Well at least this child doesn’t have the RocknRoll name. And maybe there is a middle name we’re unaware of, that the child can use, if he doesn’t like Bear.
Our son is nicknamed “Little Bear”.
No problem with it as a nickname. But they could have given the kid a legitimate first name, and either used Bear as a middle name or called him Bear as a nickname. That way, if he hates being called Bear later on, he’s got a real name to fall back on without having to legally change it.
“A real name…” Lol
As someone with an unusual name myself, I appreciate these type of conversations. You grow up noticing how “uncomfortable” it can make people, but the older you get the more comfortable you become with it yourself. I’ve never in my life met another person who had the same name as me, and it feels pretty cool!
Who knows, it might be something he takes to.
WTF is going on with Kate lately?? I never SMH but seriously SMH first Rocknroll now Bear. UGH.
Hahaha, Kate…but why not R&R, she took the name.On the other hand, im glad she is thinking of the kid.Kids could be so mean.
I don’t get the she carried the child for 9 months.. why didn’t she give this child his father’s last name. Do the other children have their father’s last names. that is weird to me. I would understand Winslet Rocknroll or whatever.. but if you love the guy why not give his child his name. I mean legally she is Mrs. RockNRoll..
But Rocknroll isn’t his father’s name, really. He made that up. Why should a father’s fictional last name take precedence over the mother’s?
Who cares? I mean seriously. It’s THAT important to uphold a random custom?
^^THIS!!^^
It’s not a random custom. It’s a custom dating back to the days when women and children were considered male property. Far from random, it was done for a very specific reason.
True Ice Maiden. But it’s also not a universal custom. And people seem to forget that there are other cultures in the world that don’t follow this custom.
More importantly, I think it shows how progressive Ned is by giving their child his wife’s last name.
This is true. As I said above, Kate carried the baby for 9 months and then gave birth to him, so as far as I’ve concerned, she, and any mother who so chooses, has more than earned the right to give her child her name.
I totally agree.
I do think Simmie was trying to get people to stop clutching their pearls over this. It’s a parents’ decision and obviously both here agreed. So why all the negative comments?
Ice Maiden – you are right, it does date back to when women were considered property. But as LadySlippers pointed out, I was saying that Kate has the right to name her kid whatever she wants and shouldn’t be criticized for bucking tradition.
Okay, but I don’t think that she’s trying to buck tradition, or trying to do away with a patriarchal custom…..Bear has her last name because his father’s last name is ridiculous. No other reason. Her other two kids have their father’s last names. I just don’t understand why she married him–if I got with a dude who changed his last name to something so ridiculous (which would never ever happen), it would honestly be a deal breaker in our relationship if he didn’t change it to a real name. I’m not saying she should break up with him or anything over a last name, but it’s ridiculous. I wouldn’t marry someone who’s last name is something that I wouldn’t take on, and nor would any of the kids resulting from the relationship–because it’s ridiculous (not for a legit reason, like the family being abusive or something).
That’s just me.
I think it’s fine to give him the mother’s name (especially when the dad changed his name to something so unusual). Obviously they agreed upon this and are happy with the name.
Agreed.
Are we sure that Winslet isn’t the middle name? Bear Winslet RockNRoll. We used my maiden name as my son’s middle name. That is what I assumed when I first read the headline…
No, they announced awhile ago that their child will have the last name of Winslet.
I love it! I did the same with my daughter.
That’s awesome! I too am the third child with such an unusual first name I have never met anyone with the same first name ever, not even a different spelling! My two older sisters have super common names in spelling and origin. Maybe when we get to third one you throw all caution to the wind and do what you want!
I agree with you. I have 3 and my third has an unusual name the other 2 with “normal” names. The older 2 both said they wished we were more original with their names as they were sick of being called by both their first and surnames to distinguish them from other children in their class. I used to date a guy whose name was Rocky and had a friend called Lucky. They were so awesome that everyone loved their names
I don’t hate the name. With a dad with that last name, anything was possible, but three kids by three husbands? I wonder what their holidays look like. It’s hard enough for us with just two sets of grandparents.
Whatever happened to the ‘Supreme Court Justice’ name test? Do people not do that test anymore?
The idea of the SCJ test is that you don’t want to cut off future life possibilities for the child – you want to create opportunities for the child where your kid might even make choices (such as to attend law school) that you would never do….
I don’t think people care or know how much a name affects a person’s life. I gave my children strong and traditional names that work from birth to death. They also come complete with many nicknames (although we don’t use them). Luckily neither name is super popular.
I don’t hate the current naming trend of ‘cutsie names’ but it’s just not a wagon I will hop onto myself.
What morons. With a thin scrawny father does this kid have the genetic predisposition to look like a Bear when he grows up? He’s going to be tortured in school. His parents are idiots. Thankfully they chose Winslet.
I’m surprised, given that her older children have fairly traditional names. I think Bear is darling as a nickname, but I personally wouldn’t choose it for a real first name. I always think about what happens when a kid grows up, if they want some sort of very professional, formal job or something.
If it is a toss up…Bear is better than RocknRolla.
Well at least the last name isn’t Bottoms or Paws.
Aren’t there other celeb moms with that name as well?
Hope their son doesn’t grow up to be scrawny, not much of Bear kinda look.
I don’t find it that weird. My husband is Swedish and if we have a boy we’ve talked about calling him Bjorn, which is Swedish for bear.
I love the name Bjorn! But then again, I’m an American with Swedish descent too.
And Dov (long o sound) is a Hebrew name which also means Bear. I’m sure there are plenty of names that mean Bear in another language that we wouldn’t bat an eyelash at if we heard a child called that.
A very handsome name! Bjorn Borg – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W7x6972WLQo
My son is named Wyatt Cub, we call him Cub though, Cub is actually a family name. We used it because we want him to be tough and wild…it seems to have worked lol.
Wyatt is a fine, strong name!
I would’ve cheered her on for using her own surname until she saddled the poor kid with that stupid name.
I suppose having her surname will be easier for everyone when she and Mr Rocknroll split. I’m wondering what her other children have as surnames.
They each have their fathers’ last names.
And I give this marriage 3 years, tops.
I don’t know…I like unusual/non-traditional names, no matter how absurd they are. Maybe because I grew up in a time when everyone was named after saints….
I think it’s nice to see my friends naming their kids all kinds of creative and unique names. It’s fun!
JESUS.CHRIST.
Well I don’t see being named Bear that odd.
Then again I come from a family line that has used the name “Cotton” more than a few times, when naming little boys. I believe there is 5 of them in my family tree alone. Still living.
There was even some harsh words a couple years ago. I had two female cousins pregnant and were having boys at the same time. And both wanted to use “Cotton”.
Long story short. I now have two little male cousins named Cotton. 🙂 But they do have different surnames.
You’re seriously bothered that the kid doesn’t have that stupid Rocknroll last name? Seriously?
As for “why”: hm, one orgasm vs. nine months of pregnancy and labor that risk one’s life. Have you not noticed that patriarchy is a completely raw deal for women in every way?
You’re reminding me of the girl in high school who actually cried when I told her I was keeping my last name if I got married. And I did. Btw, my husband has his mother’s last name.
Bear Grylls’s real name is Edward Michael Grylls. Bear isn’t horrible, but it sounds more like a nickname to me.
I guess growing up in Alabama I have become immune to the name Bear. I went to school with a few…they were all named after Bama’s legendary coach Bear Bryant. Not a name I’d personally name my son, but not too odd. IMHO.
Because naming him Rocknroll would’ve been silly. Celebrities sure love that name, it’s shaping up to be the next Lola. Lola *shudder*.
Bear is is cute nickname for a baby, but not a fully grown man. But it’s not like these celebrity kids are going to have resumes and go for job interviews like the rest of us. It will sound ridiculous when he’s standing at the altar though. “Do you Bear take…”
It seems that it is not that bizarre as a name. Uncommon and rare, yes, but Bear was given as a” real”name at a time Kate wasn t even born. By the way the name ursule (ursula for giirls) means little bear too.
charmin ultra