Knox Leon and Vivienne Marcheline: Behind the Jolie-Pitt's name choices

Angelina Jolie has defied expectations once again.Instead of having two girls named Isla Marcheline  and Amelie Jane as per projected rumors, she had mixed pair Knox Leon and Vivienne Marcheline, and opted to look back at her and Brad Pitt's family trees for inspiration.

With Knox -- a rarely used Scottish/English/Irish surname  and the middle name of Brad's grandfather, Hal Knox Hillhouse, the Jolie-Pitts established their own tradition -- instead of their sons bearing the same first initial, they share a final letter "x," and for their middle names, "n."  And like Maddox, Knox is a strong name that has a good chance of being adopted by other parents.

Leon also has family connections, being the name of Angelina's great-great grandfather.  It's also possible (though a stretch) that the name reflects his mother's charitable work, as one of the places she traveled to as Goodwill Ambassador to the UN was Sierra Leone.

Vivienne, the French form of Vivian, reflects her place of birth -- something her parents like to do -- and its meaning, "life, alive" resonates in  the uplifting  way that her brother Pax's name projects an image of peace.  It wouldn't be too surprising to learn that this name  was chosen to honor a family member or friend as well.

Marcheline is the French-sounding name of Angelina Jolie's late mother, with whom she was very close, and whose heritage was French-Canadian and Native American.  An actress, she was born Marcia Lynne, which she seems to have transformed into a distinctive version of the French 'Marcelline.'

Photo by Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images.

Did you incorporate family names into your child's name? Conversely, do your children's names have a theme or tradition (such as the Jolie-Pitt's 'x' ending for their sons)?