Kris and Noah Romero live in Phoenix, Arizona with their son Julian, and daughters Ajané, Imani, Dillan, and Quest.
Their youngest daughter, Quest Aiko, was born on November 20, 2021. Below, we chat with Kris and Noah about how they named their little girl.
N: Being avid hip hop fans and growing up listening to A Tribe Called Quest, we liked it as a name. There’s also Quest Love, from the Roots. It was a two-for-one hip hop special to be able to name our next child Quest, whether it was a girl or a boy.
K: I liked Love as a middle name, but I didn’t want to name her Quest Love. And Noah’s dad is a drummer, and he would be upset if we named her after another one! Aiko, her middle name, is Japanese for “little loved one.”
N: So she’s actually Quest Love, if you think about it.
N: We’re all about having fun and living our lives to the fullest. We don’t take ourselves so seriously and have the freedom to reinvent ourselves. As they say, live your truth.
N: It took my father up until a month ago to understand her name. I was breaking it down for him — outside of the Tribe and the Roots, the word quest is about being on a voyage, a journey, and seeking out love. And our last name, Romero, is someone on a religious pilgrimage. Her entire name represents a lovely spiritual journey. Now he thinks it’s cool.
For Ajané and Imani, we wanted to honor our mothers with their middle names. Dillan and Quest’s names are completely hip hop. Quest Aiko is essentially Quest Love, and Dillan is Dillan Jaye, in honor of Jay Dilla, because she was born on his birthday. It’s feminine, but still represents hip hop.
I intentionally had A Tribe Called Quest colored nail polish throughout the pregnancy. My nails were always red, green, and black.
N: I went a good 20-plus years having Noah to myself. It always felt unique. It went hand in hand with allowing myself to be and learn who I am. Subconsciously, I think that’s what we wanted for our kids. We want them to stand out and be individuals. Cool names exude confidence.
They love their names. When we’re in the car and some Dilla comes on, it’s Dillan’s song. Or Pharcyde, because Imani is named for them. We’ll ask them, “Do you hear your name?”
N: As a teenager, when I would meet people I thought I would never see again, I would throw out a fake name. I would usually use Imani, because I thought it was really cool. And Kris wouldn’t go for it, but if we had had a son, I wanted to name him Fresh.
Actually, this year I’m submitting all the paperwork for a legal name change. I’m legally changing my last name, but it gave me the opportunity to add a middle name. I never had one! Since we can’t use it for a son, I was like, “You know what? Fine. I’ll give myself the middle name Fresh!”
N: Instead of saying A Tribe Called Quest, it said, “A Chyld Called Quest.”
K: Royce and Royale, Martin and Ava, Winston and Kensington. I’m seeing lots of last names as first names. Jackson is a common one.
N: We saw the name Legacy about a month ago and were like, “Ooh, let’s have another kid just so we can use that!
K: For either sex, but I think it’s especially pretty for a girl. But we're not having another baby!
Just let loose and don’t restrict yourself to names that are going to please other people. Matching a name to your values allows you to find the best name for your family.
I’ve been telling Noah for years, we don’t have anyone to carry on his dad’s legacy. What are we going to do with all his drums? So I hope she takes a liking to percussion, but if not, that’s okay.
N: I second all of that. For us and our beliefs, the definition of God is love. So if she’s always on a quest for love and God is love, then she’s always going to be full of joy, love, God, and everything that that represents.
Thank you so much, Kris and Noah!
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Sophie Kihm has been writing for Nameberry since 2015. She has contributed stories on the top 2020s names, Gen Z names, and cottagecore baby names. Sophie is Nameberry’s resident Name Guru to the Stars, where she suggests names for celebrity babies. She also manages the Nameberry Instagram and Pinterest.
Sophie Kihm's articles on names have run on People, Today, The Huffington Post, and more. She has been quoted as a name expert by The Washington Post, People, The Huffington Post, and more. You can follow her personally on Instagram or Pinterest, or contact her at [email protected]. Sophie lives in Chicago.
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