Rihanna's children's names explained, and her second son is already living up to his namesake

Rihanna broke the internet this week when she shared the first photo of her newborn son on her Instagram, prompting fans to ask what are Rihanna's children's names?

The singer, who had fans asking when is Rihanna due to give birth? in the weeks leading up to the baby's arrival, gave followers the first look of her newborn as she confirmed the unusual baby name she had chosen for him.

Rihanna captioned the sweet snap, "Welcome To The World Riot Rose" and it showed boyfriend A$AP Rocky and her looking over the baby as he lay on a blanket. 

Dressed in a salmon pink jumper and shorts set with long white socks with matching pink stripes around the top. 

The outfit choice prompted fans to ask, "Is the baby a girl or boy?"

Another fan asked, "I am so confused please tell me what she had is it a girl or is it a boy, someone please tell me."

While a third fan pointed out, "Guys, all clothing is unisex, it's just dyed fabric..."

But Rihanna previously admitted she doesn't follow gender rules when it comes to baby clothes. "I like to dress him in things that don't look like baby clothes. I like to push it. I put him in floral stuff," Rihanna has previously revealed about her firstborn son. "I think that fluidity in fashion is best. I always shop in the men's department".

We also looked at Rihanna's baby names and the meaning behind them...

What are Rihanna's children called?

Rihanna's children are called RZA and Riot Rose. Her first son RZA was born on May 13 2022 in Los Angeles and her second son, whom she announced the pregnancy during the Super Bowl half time show, Riot Rose was born in August 2023.

In August last year, Rihanna stepped out in New York wearing a t-shirt with the name RZA on the front, referencing RZA's Birth of a Prince album that was released by Wu-Tang Clan's lead rapper RZA.

What do Rihanna children's names mean and where do the names come from?

Rihanna's children's names have different meanings and her firstborn RZA - pronounced as 'Rizza' honours the leader of the legendary Hip-Hop group Wu-Tang Clan rapper (real name is Robert Fitzgerald Diggs). RiRi has previously stepped out wearing Wu-Tang t-shirts and on RZA's first birthday, his father A$AP Rocky confirmed the connection. He wrote, "“WU TANG IZ 4 DA CHUREN’ HAPPY 1st BIRTHDAY TO MY 1st BORN. RZA.”

And if you're still wondering what the name actually means, the Wu-Tang rapper, who shares the moniker has previously shed some light on its meaning - and it turns out it has a deep spiritual connotation.

According to  Hip Hop in America: A Regional Guide Vol. 1, per NME, the rapper chose his name after learning about the importance of the letter Z in Islam. This letter is said to refer to the "highest level of human consciousness" and is the "essence of God" in the religion.

The Wu-Tang member shared his own insights into the name back in 2015, he wrote on Facebook, "In the Divine Alphabet, Z stands for Zig-Zag-Zig, which means Knowledge, Wisdom, and Understanding,” he wrote. “It’s the last letter of the alphabet and represents the final step of consciousness.”

He added, “So finally I just thought of the name as letters, as a title, not just a word. R-Z-A. It stands for Ruler-Knowledge/Wisdom/Understanding-Allah. #TaoOfWu.”

Meanwhile, the name of her second son, Riot Rose means "Debate; Dispute.", according to Bump.com. Riot is a boy's name of French origin. it states, "If you know baby is going to be the star of the debate team why not give them a name that embodies organised chaos with a definition like "debate."

Riot's middle name, Rose, means "flower" and is the "epitome of femininity". Rose is a girl's name of Latin origins, meaning “rose” and “flower.” The name gets its meaning from the Latin name Rosa, also referring to the timeless and romantic bloom, according to Bump.com

In other baby name news, parents have started naming their babies after luxury brands,  and there's old fashioned baby names or Disney baby names to choose from.