Jay-Z Reveals the Original Name He & Beyonce Picked Out for Daughter Blue Ivy

Jay-Z and Beyoncé are two of the most iconic names in the music industry. So, it’s only fitting that when they had their first child together, they would give her an iconic name of her own. Fans of the rapper and singer know the name Blue Ivy Carter almost as well as her famous parents, but Jay, 53, revealed that he and Bey, 42, almost gave Blue, 11, a very different name, in his CBS Mornings interview, released on Friday, October 27.

While it’s hard to imagine Blue with a name besides hers, Jay revealed that they were originally going to name her after his hometown. “Her name was meant to be Brooklyn,” he told Gayle King, before explaining how they changed to Blue.

Jay said that while Beyonce was pregnant with Blue, they had a cute nickname for her when they looked at the ultrasounds. “When we got the little sonograms, super small. We were calling her ‘blueberry.’ Like, ‘Look at the little blueberry.’ It was like a nickname,” he said. “It just was natural. We just took the ‘berry’ off and just called her Blue.”

Earlier in the interview, Jay talked about being “super proud” of Blue as she performed alongside her mom on the Renaissance tour over the summer.  “I still get goosebumps seeing her step onto this stage,” he said. “She worked every day and [I] watched her work hard.”

He also explained that it was extra special seeing Blue command the stage, because she was born into a life of fame, even though she “didn’t ask for” it.  “Since she was born, she’s been in like scrutiny and [the] public eye and everyone having an opinion,” he said. “For her to be on that stage and reclaim her power and the song is called ‘My Power,’ you can’t write a better script.”

The interview spanned the course of Jay’s career and accomplishments, but he had a lot of cute moments talking about his daughter. In another moment, Gayle asked if his kids thought he was cool, and he said that Blue now comes with him to ask his opinion on her outfits. “She used to be frontin’ on me a little bit,” he joked. “Now she asks me, if this is cool, if her sneakers or whatever she’s wearing.”