Beyoncé’s Name Has an Interesting Story Behind it and Her Mom is Revealing it Now

BeautyDecember 8, 2021

Beyoncé is one of those rare artists who can get away with using a mononym, no surnames needed. It seems that just like those who have come before her, Madonna, Prince, Cher, the pop singer, was given a name that destined her for stardom.

Now, her mother, Tina Knowles-Lawson, is sharing the origins of the singing diva’s unique name.

Name’s Origin

Featureflash Photo Agency/Shutterstock — Beyoncé has Louisiana Creole ancestry from her mother’s side

The ‘Single Ladies’ singer was born Beyoncé Giselle Knowles to Knowles-Lawson and Matthew Knowles in the early ‘80s. Her first name directly came from her mother’s maiden name.

You see, before she became Mrs. Knowles and, later on, Mrs. Lawson, Beyoncé’s mom, was known as Celestine Beyoncé. Speaking with Heather Thomson on the ‘In My Head’ podcast, the 66-year-old shared how her name was considered weird in her youth.

She said that she wanted to have a name like Linda Smith instead because unusual names like hers weren’t considered cool at the time.

Times have changed, though. And these days, the name Beyoncé has indeed been positively associated with her daughter’s stardom.

A Bit of Family History

Kathy Hutchins/Shutterstock — The fashion designer is now married to actor Richard Lawson

The story of the name doesn’t end there, though.

Knowles-Lawson also talked about how a mistake at the doctor’s office led to the creation of the name Beyoncé. It was originally spelled as ‘Beyince’, and that was how the rest of the clan spelled their last name.

According to Knowles-Lawson, her mother wasn’t able to correct the mistake as she was told she should be content about getting a birth certificate at all because Black people didn’t even get one before that. The fashion designer was born in Texas in the early ‘50s.

The same spelling error can be seen on one of Knowles-Lawson’s siblings’ birth certificates, which led them to have a different surname from their other siblings.

For that reason, many people might not have connected the dots and realized that Beyoncé is cousins with the ‘Sistas’ actress and composer Angela Beyince.

Private Life

Sky Cinema/Shutterstock — The couple have been married for 12 years now

Being in the spotlight, it’s only Beyoncé’s family history and name origin that fans are eager to know. However, the mother of three has managed to keep her private life away from prying eyes.

The singer and her rapper husband Jay-Z have rarely let the public into their romantic relationship even in its early days in the early 2000s. Beyoncé offers glimpses of her married life through her music from time to time, which she says has helped her find balance.

The couple is now parents to three children: Blue Ivy and twins, Rumi and Carter.