---
title: "Hundreds of Americans Are Naming Babies “Elon” and “Tesla”"
description: "According to the latest data, 109 kids born in the country were named \"Tesla\" in 2018. 222 children were named after the company's CEO Elon Musk."
date: "2019-05-14"
modified: "2019-05-17"
authors:
  - name: "Victor Tangermann"
    job_title: "Senior Editor"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor"
url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/baby-name-tesla"
categories:
  - "Advanced Transport"
  - "Tesla"
tags:
  - "baby"
  - "elon musk"
  - "tesla"
  - "the digest"
---

# Hundreds of Americans Are Naming Babies “Elon” and “Tesla”

![](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/baby-name-tesla.png>)
*\<em\>Image: Greyerbaby/Duncan.Hull/Victor Tangermann\</em\>*

## Little Teslas

America's car obsession is alive and well — at least according to the latest baby name trends collected by the U.S. government.

According to data released by the U.S. Social Security Administration, parents in the U.S. named 109 kids "Tesla" in 2018 — and 222 children were named after the company's CEO, [meme-lord](<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpWYQ1YtgnI>) and [dragon enthusiast](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/elon-musk-suggests-adding-dragon-wings-starship>) Elon Musk, as [*The Drive* points out](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/27996/hundreds-of-parents-named-their-babies-tesla-last-year-government-data-says>). In our book, that's devotion.

## Car Culture

Other automotive name choices include "Ford," "Bentley," and "Audi," as [*Mashable* reports](<https://mashable.com/article/tesla-baby-name/>), accounting for thousands of innocent newborns.

Whether the decision will help the car company overcome hurdles like hitting the [lowest stock valuation](<https://qz.com/1618141/teslas-stock-has-hit-its-lowest-point-since-2017/>) since 2017 or dealing with multiple reports of Teslas [randomly catching fire](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/another-tesla-fire-parked>) is unknown.

Besides, we know what happens when you decide to name your child after pop culture touchstones. We're looking at all those Britneys from the late 1990s — or the [Daeneryses inspired by HBO's *Game of Thrones*](<https://www.cnn.com/2019/05/13/us/game-of-thrones-baby-names/index.html>).

**READ MORE:** [Hundreds of Parents Named Their Babies 'Tesla' Last Year, Government Data Says](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/27996/hundreds-of-parents-named-their-babies-tesla-last-year-government-data-says>) \[*The Drive*\]

**More on Tesla:** *[Parked Teslas Keep Catching Fire for Seemingly No Reason](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/another-tesla-fire-parked>)*

## Author
I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida.

### Author social links  
[Bluesky](<https://bsky.app/profile/vtanger.bsky.social>)