Naming a baby can seem like a huge undertaking. When deciding on a moniker for your child, there are so many factors to take into consideration. Does it flow well with your last name? Is it overused? Does it make sense for an adult to have that name? Does it hold a special meaning? For Khloé Kardashian and Tristan Thompson, naming their baby boy took much longer than anticipated.
More from MamásLatinas: A timeline of Khloé Kardashian and Tristan Thompson's relationship
The Good American cofounder and the NBA player have had an on-and-off relationship, plagued by multiple cheating scandals on Tristan's part. However, they have welcomed two beautiful children together and remain dedicated to amicably co-parenting them. Khloé and Tristan's daughter, True Thompson, was born in April 2018, and their son, Tatum Thompson, arrived in July 2022.
Evidently, Tatum's last name was changed from what it originally said on his birth certificate. Let's take a closer look at what the original surname was and why it was swapped out.
Why did Khloé Kardashian change her son's last name?
That's right — Khloé originally listed her son's name as something completely different. On June 12, People reported the name on his birth certificate was Baby Kardashian because she hadn't yet settled on a permanent moniker for him. A court order would have been needed to officially change his name to Tatum Thompson.
Khloé previously opened up about the difficulty she and Tristan had naming him.
In April 2023, Khloé made an appearance on The Jennifer Hudson Show, where she explained her son wasn't given a name right away. "He was delivered via surrogate, or the stork I like to say, and at first, I really did not know what I was going to name him," she told Jennifer. "I wanted to meet him and feel him out a little bit. And so at first, he didn't have a name." Khloé did, however, confirm that, like his father's and sister's monikers, it did begin with the letter "T."
Their son's name remained a secret to the public for nearly a year.
On May 4, 2023, The U.S. Sun reported that Khloé and Tristan's son was named Tatum Robert. Khloé's friend Malika Haqq accidentally confirmed the leak through an Instagram comment on May 19.
“Go Tate!” Malika wrote on photos Khloé posted of herself holding her son. (Whoops!)
His name was officially revealed during the season 3 premiere of 'The Kardashians.'
Season three of The Kardashians premiered on May 25, 2023, and that's when Khloé officially confirmed her son's name: Tatum Robert Thompson. "Naming a human is really hard," she admitted on the Hulu series.
During the premiere, the mom of two also opened up about how different the process of welcoming a baby via surrogate was for her. "I definitely, like, buried my head in the sand during that pregnancy that I didn't digest what was happening," Khloé added. "And so I think when I went to the hospital, I really think that was the first time that really registered. And it has nothing to do with the baby."
Tatum Thompson's middle name holds a special meaning.
Keeping the alliteration alive with the double T's was a given, as Khloé previously teased. And although she didn't hint at what her son's middle name would be ahead of time, it was the perfect choice. That's because "Robert" is both her late father's first name and her brother's first name.
The Kardashian name may not continue through Khloé's kids, but Robert's name will still live on through Tatum (and in the hearts of his family)!
