--- title: "Elon Musk Says He Might Name His Next Kid After a COVID Variant" description: "It looks like new COVID-19 strains are about to surge this winter — and their new names may be inspiring Tesla CEO Elon Musk." date: "2022-10-19" modified: "2022-10-19" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/elon-musk-covid-variant-baby-names" categories: - "Elon Musk" - "Future Society" - "The Industrialists" tags: - "covid19" - "elon musk" - "grimes" - "the digest" --- # Elon Musk Says He Might Name His Next Kid After a COVID Variant ![It looks like new COVID-19 strains are about to surge this winter — and their new names may be inspiring Tesla CEO Elon Musk.]() *\Image: CARINA JOHANSEN/NTB/AFP via Getty Images\* ## Numbering Babies It looks like [new COVID-19 strains]() are about to surge this winter — and their new names may be inspiring Tesla CEO and notably prolific reproducer Elon Musk. It all started with Dogecoin co-creator Billy Markus, who posted a screenshot of an article featuring the names of a number of new COVID strains, which bear a passing resemblance to both [X Æ A-Xii]() and [Exa Dark Sideræl](), the controversial names of Musk and Claire "Grimes" Boucher's first and second children, respectively. "Did Elon Musk name these new COVID variants?" Markus asked, referring to the variants named "XBB, Q.1.1, and BA.2.75.2." Musk [replied]() that the headline was "definitely" giving him "kid naming ideas," adding a laugh-crying emoji for good measure. https://twitter.com/BillyM2k/status/1582569743654875137 ## Say It Ain't So While it's almost certain that the SpaceX and Tesla CEO is, as his emoji usage suggests, joking, it wouldn't be the first time that he brought a joke to life. For instance, the entrepreneur [just sold out]() of his meme perfume, which is designed to smell like burnt hair, a venture that started out as a dumb Twitter quip he made earlier in the year. Given that the man [has at least nine kids]() and is showing no signs of slowing down anytime soon — Musk [believes that shrinking birth rates]() will lead to a collapse of the global population — it's not entirely out of the question that Musk may resort to number his children. Let's hope that it doesn't get to that point — for our sakes and for the kids. **More Musk world:** [*Grimes "Accidentally Reinvents Scientology" in Bonkers Interview With an Anti-Vaxxer*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()