Blue Ivy Carter is definitely one of the most recognizable celebrity kids, but she almost had a very different name. Jay-Z recently revealed that his first-born daughter with Beyoncé was almost named after his hometown of Brooklyn.
The “Empire State of Mind” rapper recently did a rare interview with Gayle King to discuss the Brooklyn Public Library’s Book of HOV exhibit. They broached a variety of topics during their conversation, including the alternative name he and Beyoncé had for their daughter Blue Ivy Carter.
“It was supposed to be Brooklyn… We was calling her Blueberry. Like, ‘Look at the little blueberry.’ You know, it was like a nickname. It was just natural. We just took the berry off and called her Blue,” said Jay-Z.
Blue Ivy Carter turned 11 this year, and she’s on the path to reaching greatness, just like her parents. She made history as the youngest individually credited Grammy Award winner in history after being featured on Beyoncé’s single “Brown Skin Girl” and spent most of 2023 touring by her mother’s side as one of the dancers on the Renaissance World Tour.
In addition to Blue Ivy, Jay-Z and Beyoncé have two more kids together: twins Rumi and Sir, born in June 2017.