Donald Trump Tried To Give Son Barron A Last-Minute Name Change

Choosing a child's name is one of the most important decisions a parent can make. There are so many factors to consider — What meaning do you want the name to convey? How does it sound together with the last name? Do you have a cultural or religious tradition to follow? Do you prefer the currently trendy, old-fashioned names such as Vivian, Oscar, and Ezekiel, or names inspired by nature, like Rowan, Sequoia, and Autumn? (As for Bruno, we don't talk about that).

Even when parents find the perfect moniker, they may change their minds before the baby is born — or even after. Donald Trump can surely attest to that. Back in 2006, when the former president was still best known for his casinos and his "Apprentice" hosting duties, Donald admitted that his youngest child almost had a different name. The outspoken star and wife Melania gave a short interview to Gayle King for "The Oprah Winfrey Show" when their baby was just two months old. 

"I love the name Barron," King said at the time. "Where did that come from?" Donald replied: "It's a name I've always loved, but never had the courage to use. And then I gave the idea to Melania, and I was going to take it away at the very end." But while "The Donald" is well known for not backing down from his opinions, in this case, Melania and her motherly instincts won out in the end.

Why did Donald Trump say it took "courage" to name his fifth and final child Barron? Picking a baby name can be fun, challenging, confusing, or even downright agonizing, but bravery isn't typically involved. A peek into the controversial politician's personal history gives some insight into what he meant. In 2016, The Washington Post ran an exposé revealing that for years, the then-presidential candidate frequently posed as his own PR agent over the phone, using the pseudonym "John Barron" ("John Miller" was another of his phony spokespeople, FYI). 

This allowed Donald to control his own narrative in the press, to a certain extent, on topics such as his divorce from his first wife, Ivana Trump, without seeming too obvious about it. At the time, Donald denied the strategy, despite having admitted to being his own publicist in a previous court case, per NBC News. Although Donald's youngest child was born in March 2006, a decade before the Post story broke, Trump may have realized it would sound too suspicious to give the baby the same name as his supposed spokesman. 

Melania Trump, however, refused to let him change it. In the Gayle King interview, Donald went on to recall, "She said, 'You can't take it away! I've been calling him Barron since he's been in my stomach. And you just can't take it away.'" The expectant mom's instincts won out, and Barron William was the name the Trumps ultimately put on the birth certificate. 

While the origins of Barron Trump's name may be questionable, the moniker itself fits right into the Trump brand of high-end business dealings. According to Nameberry, Barron is a variant of the word "baron," meaning "a lord of the realm" in British nobility. The name also calls to mind Barron's, the famed investment magazine. No matter which meaning is attached, Barron suggests a future that includes a penthouse office and a healthy financial portfolio, which should make his father very proud.

The other four Trump children's names were just as carefully chosen. Donald's oldest son, naturally, is Donald Trump Jr., while his eldest daughter Ivanka Trump's given name is the same as her mother's: Ivana Marie. Middle son Eric Trump bears a name that means "eternal ruler" in the old Norse dialect. Then there's Tiffany Trump, Donald's only child by Marla Maples. Nameberry claims that the name comes from the Greek name Theophania, meaning "of divine manifestation," but it's more likely her parents were thinking about the iconic jeweler rather than their baby's resemblance to any deity.

Two things about Barron's name remain a mystery, though. First: What would Donald have named his youngest son if Melania had acquiesced all those years ago? And how does Barron himself feel about possibly having been named for his dad's not-so-secret alter ego? The answer to the second question will definitely have to wait; Melania has been diligent about keeping her son away from media scrutiny and inquiries.