What’s the inspiration behind Rihanna and A$AP Rocky’s kids’ names?

Rihanna broke the internet by announcing the arrival of her third child on September 24, 2025. The singer shared the name of her daughter via an Instagram post that featured a baby dressed in a pink onesie, pink lace booties and a pink bow.
The caption read:

“Rocki Irish Mayers Sept 13.”

Rocki’s name begins with the letter “R,” just like her two older brothers, RZA and Riot. Their parents, Rihanna, born Robyn Rihanna Fenty, and ASAP ROCKY, real name Rakim Mayers, also have R names. 
 

Rihanna told Entertainment Tonight in June 2025 that it was agreed that their children would always have R names:

" It will always be an R name. That’s the one thing me and Rocky don’t fight over.”

The couple’s first son, RZA, was named after producer and rapper RZA. Singer and designer Pharrell Williams chose Riot’s name, and Rocki seems to have been coined from ASAP ROCKY’s stage name, although the singer hasn’t confirmed this.

More details on Rihanna and ASAP ROCKY’s kids’ names

The De facto leader of the Wu-Tang clan, RZA, confirmed that Rihanna and ASAP ROCKY named their first son after him in a CNN interview:

"[It's] a great honour to know that there’s another generation that’s not even of my own household that feels the strength and the inspiration of that name."

He added:

"RZA isn't only a name, it’s a title. So it’s an honour, and I salute her and A$AP and their family. All the blessings in the world from me."

Rihanna told Harper’s Bazaar in February 2025 that Pharrell Williams had named her secondborn after collaborating with ROCKY on the RIOT (Rowdy Pipe'n) track. 

"He gave us this name thinking it was going to be a girl, because he had seen something online."

Baby Rocki’s name shares a striking resemblance to her father’s stage name. It is speculated that her name could be an homage to ASAP ROCKY’s.

Rihanna and ASAP ROCKY began officially dating in 2021 and have been together since. The Fenty mogul has always been vocal about wanting a big family.

She spoke with Interview magazine in April 2024, saying:

"As many [more children] as God wants me to have. I don’t know what God wants, but I would go for more than two. I would try for my girl. But of course, if it’s another boy, it’s another boy.”

In June 2024, she told ExtraTV that many people were “pushing” for her to have a baby girl before adding that it would be fun to have “a spicy little girl.”