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Where did Beckhams get the name Harper Seven?

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Tuesday Jul 12 2011

With elder brothers by the names of Brooklyn, Romeo and Cruz, nobody was expecting a Rachel, Sarah or Emily.

But the moniker handed to the latest little bundle of Beckham, who came into the world at a Los Angeles hospital on Sunday morning, has probably surpassed them all.

“I am so proud and excited to announce the birth of our daughter Harper Seven Beckham,” her proud father told the world, via Facebook, on Sunday evening.

“She weighed a healthy 7lbs 10oz and arrived at 7.55 this morning, here in LA. Victoria is doing really well and her brothers are delighted to have a baby sister xx.”

But the Beckhams aren't the only celebrities guilty of marking their children out in the playground by giving them strange names.

Other celebrity offenders include Demi Moore and Bruce Willis (Rumer, Scout and Tallulah Belle), Cher who called her daughter Chastity and rock star Frank Zappa, who pioneered the trend, calling his children Moon Unit and Dweezil.

Actress Gwyneth Paltrow and Coldplay frontman Chris Martin went for attention-grabbing names for their two offspring — Moses and Apple.

And fruit was again the inspiration for Peaches Geldof, whose siblings also possess bizarre names, Fifi Trixibelle, Pixie and Heavenly Hiraani Tiger Lily.

The Beckhams have since offered no reasons for their chosen name, but a number of theories have emerged:

The number 7 shirt:

Beckham's shirt number while playing for Manchester United and for England was number seven.

Conserving tattoo space:

The names of all three of Beckham's current offspring have found their way somewhere onto his heavily inked body. There is not much space left.

The time, date and weight:

Harper Seven arrived in the seventh month of the year, at 07.55 in the morning, weighing 7lbs 10oz. These are weighty omens.

Becks is a Seinfeld fan:

In the US sitcom Seinfeld, George Constanza floated the notion of naming a baby Seven. “It works for a boy or a girl,” he suggested, to the horror of his girlfriend.

Publishing:

Leading publisher HarperCollins have been behind several Beckham books, including David’s 2004 autobiography My Side. The publishing house's marketing people must be hoping for a future suitor named Collins for the young lady to complete a PR triumph.

Harper Lee:

The 85-year-old US novelist is the most famous Harper around, and given her novel To Kill A Mockingbird was on the GCSE syllabus in the early 90s, it may be one of the few books that both David and Victoria have read.

Harper’s Bazaar:

Victoria has appeared on the cover of the fashion magazine several times.

What a penalty:

It is possible that David remembers with particular fondness blasting a penalty past Newcastle's veteran keeper Steve Harper in a 1-1 away draw in 2000.