Names In Spotlight: The Phoenix Family

Out of inspiration? Well hopefully this will cheer you up and make you feel inspired by these quirky choices.

It all started when John-Lee Bottom and his wife Arlyn married in 1969. They changed their last names to Phoenix to symbolise a new beginning, rising from the ashes, after being disillusioned with a religious cult they were part of.

With their newly inspired last name Phoenix, they would give birth to five children, two of them who eventually get a lot of recognition in the acting world. They are:

son River
daughter Rain
son Joaquin (Leaf)
daughter Summer
daughter Liberty

River Phoenix and his brother Joaquin would be the ones getting attention from Hollywood, becoming the first brother duo to be nominated for an oscar.



Joaquin actually changed his name to Leaf Phoenix, to match his elder siblings earthy-like names. When asked about why he changed his name to Leaf, he replied "All the other kids in my family had gorgeous names and I got 'Joaquin', you know what I mean?". He used the name Leaf as a child actor, but eventually changed it back to Joaquin as a young adult - a shame if you ask me.

River Phoenix unfortunately died in the early 90s, but his name would make an impact in the popularity chart and stay with us until today. It debuted in the boys chart in 1994, a year after River's death. River is seen as a fresh name for boys, and is still climbing up the charts, reaching its highest position yet at #448 in the latest ranking.

Neither of the brothers had kids, and it was up to their youngest sisters to get the job done. Liberty Phoenix was the first member of the family to become a parent, giving birth to two boys and a girl:

son Rio Everest
son Indigo Orion
daughter Scarlette Jasmine

The name Rio actually means river in spanish and portuguese. Seems like it was a beautiful way for Liberty to pay tribute to her late brother River.

Neither Rio or Indigo are popular names, they're yet to debut in the top1000. However, there seems to be more celebrity boys named Rio these days, so don't be surprised to see it in the ranking soon. Indigo on the other hand is unlikely to catch on, and unfortunately Indigo Orion will not be the first kid to make the name more noticed as he sadly passed away as a baby.

The middle name Everest is just as rare, never having ranked in the chart. The middle name Orion however has been around since the 19th century and has been in and out of the chart ever since. Its been inside the top1000 permanently since 1994 and doesn't seem to be going out anytime soon. Plus it's got a very fresh feel to it, even if its as old as John.

Summer Phoenix is the other sibling that had kids. She married oscar nominated actor Casey Affleck, and gave birth to two boys so far:

son Indiana August
son Atticus

Summer also payed tribute to her late brother River with her first son's name Indiana August. River played the character of Indiana Jones, and he was born in August.

The name Indiana is still pretty rare in the popularity charts, even with the Indiana Jones fever. August is by far the most popular month name for boys though, having been around since the 1800s when it was actually in the top100, before dropping towards the bottom of the chart. The name has picked up some steam lately and seems to be climbing steadily these days, currently at #433 after making a 50 place jump last year.

The name Atticus may seem to be trendy as its only been popular recently, but it actually ranked at the bottom of the chart back in the 1881, before dropping out completely the following year until it reappeared in 2004, 123 years after. It reached its highest position in the latest chart, ranking at #609.

I couldn't finish the story on this family without mentioning their last name, Phoenix. As a first name, Phoenix is relatively new, first appearing in the ranking back in 1995. This name also reached its zenith in the latest chart, climbing to #367 in the boys chart. This would make an excellent name choice if you enjoy these kind of names, or if you want a fresh start for your kids life, just like the Phoenix's did.


People do seem to moan about the lack of name choices for their boys, but the Phoenix family are a proof that there are thousands of fresh and handsome names around to choose from. The only limit on the choices are your own tastes, parents. Some have a bigger variety to select, others less so. Maybe it's time for those of you that don't have a wide variety of names to choose from and complain about it to be a bit more open minded and explore other options.

So what is your favourite boy name from this family?

Phoenix
River
Leaf
Rio
Everest
Indigo
Orion
Indiana
August
Atticus

Plenty to choose from here. I do like all of these, but Indigo and Leaf get my votes. Indiana is pretty cool too, plus you get the nickname Indy.

For more interesting "family" names, check out the Gwen Stefani and "No Doubt" Family.