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Elon Musk reveals Indian inspiration behind son Strider Sekhar’s name, nods to Nobel laureate

Replying to a post by X account Tesla Owners Silicon Valley, which featured a photo of him with his twins, Elon Musk broke down the meanings behind their full names.

2 min readNew DelhiJan 9, 2026 05:05 PM IST

According to Musk, his son’s name, Strider Sekhar, draws from two very different sources

Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk has shared fresh insight into how he chose the names of two of his children, revealing a mix of pop culture, science, and gaming influences. Replying to a post by X account Tesla Owners Silicon Valley, which featured a photo of him with his twins, Musk broke down the meanings behind their full names and the people and ideas that inspired them.

According to Musk, his son’s name, Strider Sekhar, draws from two very different sources. ‘Strider’ comes from Aragorn, the iconic character from JRR Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings. ‘Sekhar’, meanwhile, is a tribute to renowned Indian-American astrophysicist Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar, who won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1983 for his work on stellar evolution.

Check out the post:

Me with my son, Strider Sekhar (named after Aragorn & great Indian physicist Chandrasekhar) and daughter, Comet Azure, named after the most powerful spell in Elden Ring

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 8, 2026

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Musk also explained the origin of his daughter’s name, Comet Azure, saying it was inspired by gaming. He wrote on X, “Me with my son, Strider Sekhar (named after Aragorn & great Indian physicist Chandrasekhar) and daughter, Comet Azure, named after the most powerful spell in Elden Ring.”

The twins were born in November 2021 to Musk and Neuralink executive Shivon Zilis. They also have two younger siblings: Arcadia, born in 2024, and Seldon Lycurgus, who arrived in March 2025. Zilis has Indian roots through her mother, Sharda Zilis, who is of Punjabi origin.

Musk’s explanation quickly drew reactions online. One user commented, “You always find the most amazing and unusual names for your children. Very unique identities.” Another wrote, “Beautiful names!! Sekhar (Shekhar) is a Sanskrit word means highest point in the term of excellence. Blessings!” A third added, “Naming after Chandrasekhar is a beautiful nod to science. Respect.”