The secret meaning of Gigi and Zayn's baby name has finally been revealed

The firstborn baby of Gigi and Zayn has a very special hidden name meaning

NEW YORK, NY - JANUARY 11: Gigi Hadid and Zayn Malik show PDA after leaving a restaurant in NoHo celebrating a birthday on January 11, 2020 in New York City.
(Image credit: (Photo by Robert Kamau/GC Images))

The hidden meaning behind Gigi Hadid and Zayn Malik’s baby name has been revealed, and it's a lot for a baby to live up to! 

The A-list couple, who welcomed their daughter on September 23, 2020, have been slow to share details about the experience with the public. Unlike many of their celebrity chums, Gigi and Zayn have chosen to keep their social media mostly baby-free.

Fans were even kept in the dark about their daughter’s name, with the first-time parents intent on protecting the newborn's privacy.  

However, Gigi and Zayn’s secretive approach only fanned the flames of fans’ curiosity. It wasn’t long before the Internet went into overdrive with speculation about the name of the celebrity couple’s baby. 

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While some suggested it could be Zagi or Zayan, others had more complex theories. The Twitter machine sped up when one hardcore fan argued the baby was called Dorothea, after the eighth track on Taylor Swift’s latest album, 'Evermore'. 

She argued that because Gigi and Zayn had posted "August, waiting for our girl,” on Instagram, and "August" was also the eighth song on Taylor’s previous album, Folklore, so there must be a connection. Not too much of a stretch, considering Taylor named a track on that album after her the youngest daughter of her friends Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds — that was how we learned she's named Betty.

However, the fans were incorrect.

After four months, the couple has finally confirmed their baby’s name. In classic Gigi fashion, she discreetly slipped the news to her 63 million Instagram followers by updating her bio to say "Khai’s mom."

It may sound unfamiliar to some, but this name has some serious weight to it.

Khai, which has Egyptian origins, means “royalty or nobility” and “the chosen one.” Although Gigi and Zayn have yet to discuss the inspiration behind their choice, many have suggested it pays homage to the couple’s Arabic heritage. Zayn has a Pakistani background and Gigi’s father is a Jordanian-American of Palestinian descent. 

Despite this revelation, it doesn’t look like we’ll be seeing too much of Khai any time soon. Just last month, Gigi buckled down on her privacy stance, warning fans not to ask her for any pictures of her baby. 

Emma Dooney
Lifestyle News Writer

Hailing from the lovely city of Dublin, Emma mainly covers the Royal Family and the entertainment world, as well as the occasional health and wellness feature. Always up for a good conversation, she has a passion for interviewing everyone from A-list celebrities to the local GP - or just about anyone who will chat to her, really.

Emma holds an MA in International Journalism from City, University of London, and a BA in English Literature from Trinity College Dublin.