Entertainment
A Closer Look At Natalie Portman's Daughter's Name
A semi-belated congratulations are in order for Natalie Portman and Benjamin Millepied. As her rep confirmed on Friday, Portman gave birth to daughter Amalia Millepied on Feb. 22. Now, I don't know the exact reason why Portman and Millepied picked the name Amalia for their second child (I suppose we'll just have to wait until they share it with the world), but I do know that it's a lovely name. I also know that it is always interesting to look up a name's meaning.
So, what does Amalia mean? Here’s what the baby name websites taught me about the beautiful name.
- The language of origin is German, if you ask BabyNameWizard.com; it is derived from "amal," which means “work.” In Hebrew, the name means “work of God.”
- According to Kveller.com, the language of origin is Hebrew; the name means "work of God."
- Similarly, the languages of origin are German and Hebrew, according to TheNameMeaning.com. In German, it means “work, effort, strain"; in Hebrew, it means “work of the Lord.”
- According to OhBabyNames.com, it "is the Latinized form of the Germanic Amal meaning 'to work, industrious'"; in Hebrew it means "labor of God."
The overarching conclusion here? Amalia appears to be a nod to Portman's heritage and faith. The Oscar-winning actor was born in Jerusalem, Israel and was raised Jewish. Portman and Millipied gave their firstborn a Hebrew name, too: Aleph is the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet.
Portman's rep shared the following statement with Bustle:
"Natalie Portman and her husband Benjamin Millepied welcomed a baby girl, Amalia Millepied, on February 22. Mother and baby are happy and healthy."
Congrats to the couple. While the exact reasoning behind the name is unknown, it surely holds special significance.