Seven just the latest celebrity baby to bear an off-beat name

THE Beckhams have added to their roll-call of exotically named children with latest addition Harper Seven.

Whether the name is a tribute to author Harper Lee or even the publisher of David’s autobiography HarperCollins is anyone’s guess, although Seven is more obviously a reference to his shirt number in his Manchester United days.

David Beckham’s spokesman Simon Oliveira said the celebrity couple were “delighted to announce the birth of their daughter”, who was born at Cedars Sinai hospital in Los Angeles weighing 7lb 10oz.

The Beckhams, who married in 1999 and whose celebrity is entrenched on both sides of the Atlantic, already have three boys: Brooklyn, 11, Romeo, 8, and Cruz, 5.

The 36-year-old Beckham captained England’s national team from 2000 to 2006. He played for Manchester United and Spain’s Real Madrid before moving to LA to join the Galaxy in 2007.

Thirty-seven-year-old Victoria Beckham found fame as a singer for 1990s girl band the Spice Girls and has since become a fixture of the fashion circuit.

The baby joins brothers Brooklyn, Romeo and Cruz, but the Beckhams by no means have a monopoly over unusual names.

Indeed, it is almost de rigueur for the rich and famous. There are dozens of celebrities who have marked their children out in the playground with a strange name.

Giving the Beckhams a run for their money have been Jamie and Jools Oliver with their brood of children who seem to have taken their inspiration from a country meadow, or a Winnie The Pooh story.

Poppy Honey was followed by Daisy Boo, then Petal Blossom Rainbow, and finally Buddy Bear.

Jonathan Ross’s family have not escaped either, with children Betty Kitten, Honey Kinney and Harvey Kirby.

Actress Gwyneth Paltrow and Coldplay frontman Chris Martin have often opted to be low-key, keeping their relationship out of the spotlight. But they chose attention-grabbing names for their two offspring: Moses and Apple.

But having an unusual name can be torture for a celebrity’s child. Just ask Peaches Geldof.

“Why do the rich and famous give their children such ridiculous names?” the daughter of Bob Geldof and the late Paula Yates wrote a few years ago.

“Mine has haunted me all my life, and will continue to do so.”

The teenager said she was teased mercilessly at school with cries of: “Oi, Peaches, are your parents bananas?”

And U2 frontman Bono rounded off his collection — which had already included Jordan, Eve, John — with Elijah Bob Patricius Guggi Q.

The stress of a painful name can be easily dealt with though. Simply change it.

When David Bowie’s son Zowie set about establishing his movie directing career for the release of first film Moon, he took the name Duncan Jones.