Elon Musk has once again sparked global curiosity for the unique names of his children. The Tesla and SpaceX CEO recently revealed the inspiration behind the names of his twins, including his son Strider Sekhar, paying tribute to an iconic Indian-origin physicist.
The revelation came after Musk responded to a post shared by the X handle Tesla Owners Silicon Valley, which featured an image of him with his twins. In his reply, Musk explained the meaning and origins of their full names, instantly drawing attention online.
According to Musk, his son’s name, Strider Sekhar, is inspired by two vastly different yet equally influential figures. “Strider” is derived from Aragorn, the legendary character from J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, who is first introduced under that name.
The second name, Sekhar, is a tribute to Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar, the Indian-American theoretical physicist who won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1983 for his groundbreaking work on stellar evolution and black holes.
Musk also revealed the inspiration behind his daughter’s name, Comet Azure, stating that it is named after the most powerful spell in the popular video game Elden Ring. 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.”
Strider Sekhar and Comet Azure were born in November 2021 to Musk and Neuralink executive Shivon Zilis. The couple later welcomed two more children, Arcadia in 2024 and Seldon Lycurgus in March 2025, bringing Musk’s total number of children to eight.
Notably, Shivon Zilis has Indian roots through her mother, Sharda Zilis, who is of Punjabi origin. Musk’s choice to honour Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar has been widely appreciated online, with many calling it a rare and meaningful nod to Indian scientific excellence.
