English: Uma Thurman at the Cannes film festival
English: Uma Thurman at the Cannes film festival (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The lovely Uma Thurman welcomed a daughter with fiance Arpad Busson back in July, but declined to announce the name.

Until now.

And it was absolutely worth the wait.  Baby Girl Thurman-Busson has a whopping five given names, and will answer to a sixth name, derived from one of the middles.  The little one’s full name is Rosalind Arusha Arkadina Atlalune Florence.

Uma Thurman’s daughter is Luna for short.

Both mom and dad have children from previous relationships.  Uma is mom to Maya Ray and Levon with her ex, Ethan Hawke.  Arpad has two sons with Elle McPherson, Arpad Flynn and Aurelius Cy, both of whom answer to their middle names.

What’s behind all five names?  The couple is keeping mum on their reasons for the lengthy appellation.  The names are all pretty rare, and they’re terribly pretty.

Rosalind – She’s a Shakespearean baby name, an underused vintage gem.

Arusha – This one is Sanskrit, just like mom’s name.  Uma means light.  I believe Arusha means bright, creating a subtle link between their names.

Arkadina – If Arusha is a nod to mom’s name, could Arkadina be a nod to dad?  He was referred to as Arki in the birth announcement made by Uma’s publicist.

Altalune – The likely source of short form Luna, I found Altaluna in use in fourteenth century Italy, and Altagracia in Spanish.  But Altalune?  Hmmm … Alta is the Latin for high, and lune must refer to moon.

Florence – The most familiar name of all, Florence could be Rosalind’s sister.

As for Luna, she’s the most mainstream of them all.  Boosted by Harry Potter heroine Luna Lovegood, she’s rising rapidly in the US.  Luna is also popular across Europe, making her a great choice for her globe-trotting parents.  Luna will fit right in from Denmark to Spain and everywhere in between.

I’ll admit, I’m in love with the name.  I’m a fan of unconventional nicknames, and I love the combination of underused classics and unexpected names that appear to be rich with meaning.  It does feel like a lot of name – maybe too much name – but it has a surprisingly pleasing rhythm nonetheless.  And I can’t help but wonder – have they had her name chosen all of these weeks, or have they spent the last few months hammering out a compromise between Arusha and Florence before deciding to just use ’em all?

What do you think of Uma’s baby name?  Do you think five names plus a nickname is too much?

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About Abby Sandel

Whether you're naming a baby, or just all about names, you've come to the right place! Appellation Mountain is a haven for lovers of obscure gems and enduring classics alike.

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What do you think?

13 Comments

  1. I don’t like the whole thing all together, but I have to say it’s more because it’s such an unusual mix of names than that it’s so many. Once you do more than one middle name I don’t think it matters much, anything more than that isn’t exactly practical and the reason for the additional names is for that person and the people close to them, so I really don’t care how many you add on. I like Luna and don’t find it odd to give her that many names and call her by a nickname for one of the middle names. Makes sense. In fact, Altalune is probably my favorite of the bunch, though I also like Florence. Nice to understand a bit more about each name.

  2. I love it! I love the names, especially Altaluna, and the length. I love multiple middle names. If I had my way my future children might have around 6-8 names. Molto Bella!

  3. Arpad’s mother is Florence. His middle initial is ‘A’ and since he’s called Arki, I’d assume that’s for Arkad(i)(y)(usz) — Arkadina being a patronymic femme form.

    1. Oooh … thank you for that bit of info about Florence! And yes, I assume Arki comes from his middle, but I can’t confirm, either.

  4. I can appreciate having more than one middle name, and do believe in multiple middles. However, four is too many. This is a case where, I’m sorry, compromise is needed. With the double-barreled surname, she has SEVEN names, for Frith’s sake! I’m not even sure her full name will fit on a SS card, one of the most important identifying documents we in the U.S. must use (and it must have your full name on it), and it most certainly will not fit on most forms, unofficial or not. Not a fan, sorry.

  5. I’m all for unconventional and underused vintage, but I’m not a fan of nick names that are kind of a stretch not to mention a stand alone full name. Rosalind is beautiful, but Luna seems kind of fluffy and trendy to me in comparison. I guess I just don’t get it? But hey, it’s their kid 🙂

  6. It’s a little over-the-top, but in a way I can appreciate. Altalune/Altaluna is really pretty, and new to me. (I know an Alt@dawn, the Alt@- part was from a grandmother, and I think Dawn was just what her mother really wanted to name her, and what she goes by.)

    Rosalind is on my list of possibilities for a hypothetical future child. I wonder if this will bring more attention to the name, or if it will go the way of Gloria?

  7. I think it’s a long way to go for Luna. I also suspect they expect her to be their last/only child hence the length. Ehh I’m not crazy about it. But at least it’s not Camden B+

  8. i love it!
    bold and beautiful and definitely original
    i love that she doesnt have go to school with someone with the same name. if another goes by luna, she has a plethora of other options