Liam Payne and Cheryl Cole (Finally) Give Their Son a Name

Cheryl Cole (L) and her boyfriend Liam Payne, member of 'one direction' arrive at the Chopard Trophy Ceremony at the annual 69th Cannes Film Festival at Hotel Martinez
Life before baby! Cheryl Cole and Liam Payne at the annual 69th Cannes Film Festival in 2016. (Photo: Gisela Schober/Getty Images for Chopard)

Liam Payne and Cheryl Cole welcomed their son into the world on March 22. Now, a mere five weeks later, they’ve given him a name — and that name is Bear. Apparently, the couple wanted to spend some time with their little bundle of joy before bestowing a moniker on him.

On Sunday night, a friend revealed, “Liam and Cheryl couldn’t decide on a name for ages and kept toing and froing between options, but they both loved Bear and settled on it a few days ago.” The source close to the new parents added, “Despite the sleepless nights, the couple are completely smitten with little Bear.” They’ve reportedly decided to go with the father’s surname, so their son will be called Bear Payne. This slightly contradicts another report that claimed, “They spent over a week getting to know him first before deciding,” which would mean they’ve actually known Bear was the choice for about a month, and only the rest of the world is learning now.

On March 25, the pop stars announced that their baby had been born, breaking the news with two sweet Instagram posts. “On Wednesday 22nd March Liam and I became parents to an incredibly beautiful, healthy baby boy, weighing 7lb 9 and looking like a dream,” 33-year-old Cole wrote. “Although he still doesn’t have a name he is already stealing hearts. We are all madly in love and overwhelmingly happy with our little arrival. Happy Mother’s Day to all the mothers around the world. A day that now has a different meaning to me forever.”

The One Direction star added, “My close friends and family know there are very few times when I’m left speechless… wow! I’m incredibly happy to welcome our new baby boy into the world.” He added that “it’s a moment that I will never forget for the rest of my life and my favourite memory I have so far.”

He went on to gush about the former X Factor judge and mother of his firstborn. “I’m completely in awe of his incredible mother and how she has been the whole way through this, she’s really made my dreams come true.” He echoed her comments confirming they were waiting to settle on a name. “We haven’t named him yet but he’s already capturing hearts including mine. I feel very blessed. Happy Mother’s Day everyone!”

Bear is an unusual name, but Cole and Payne aren’t the first celebs to choose it. Kate Winslet and Alicia Silverstone both have sons named Bear, and Jamie Oliver and his wife named their son Buddy Bear. (It’s worth mentioning that they also have kids named Daisy Boo, Petal Blossom Rainbow, Poppy Honey Rosie, and River Rocket — so while Bear might be odd … everything is relative.)

Whether Cole and Payne decided a few days ago or a month ago, Bear is here to stay, so hopefully their son likes it as much as they do.


Read more from Yahoo Celebrity: