Why Gwen and Gavin named their son Zuma

Expert: Why Gwen Named Her Son Zuma
Friday August 22, 2008

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."

See photos of Hollywood babies and learn the meaning of their names.

Weighing 8 1/2 lbs., Zuma was born at 12:46 p.m. in L.A. Thursday.

Look back at photos of Gwen Stefani's bump.

"Everyone is just so very happy," Rossdale's father Douglas told Us Friday morning. "It's fantastic news, and I'm just so happy."


source usmagazine