Natalie Hanson Gives NameBerry.com the Scoop on Viggo Moriah
 Vince Flores/Celebrity Photo |
Musical brother Taylor Hanson is the latest celebrity to choose a baby name that’s reminiscent of another celebrity, when he and wife Natalie named their newborn son and fourth child Viggo Moriah. While actor Viggo Mortensen wasn’t the direct inspiration for the baby’s name, says Natalie Hanson, “He’s a great actor and a strong, handsome modern reference for the name.”
Natalie and Taylor were combing through records on ancestry.com when they hit upon Viggo, a Scandinavian name that means “war.” “It has a great sound and matches our last name and we just loved it,” says Natalie. The baby’s middle name Moriah was Taylor’s choice, inspired by the Book of Genesis story of Abraham’s sacrifice of Isaac, which took place on Mount Moriah. To the couple’s surprise — despite that Biblical reference — people assume the middle name has a celebrity connection, too. “People have been asking us, ‘Oh, like Mariah Carey?,’ and we didn’t even think of that,” says the new mom. “We were thinking of other Biblical names like Josiah and Jeremiah that to us sounded so masculine.”
Baby Viggo Moriah’s three older siblings, Jordan Ezra, 6; Penelope Anne, 3 ½; and River Samuel, 2, so far pronounce his name “Biggo,” laughs Natalie. “It’s so cute, we always make them say it.”
“I’m such a name fan,” says Natalie, who was poring through name books long before she started her brood with the middle Hanson brother. With the world watching, how does she feel about the pressure to choose the perfect name? “The pressure is worse from my Mom and the in-laws,” she laughs. “But once they see the baby, he’s so precious, they say he looks like a Viggo.”
Want to learn more about the genesis behind baby names? Visit nameberry.com.
- Posted on Dec 23, 08 at 3:00PM
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- 9 Comments
December 23rd, 2008 at 4:03 pm
Awe!! Biggo! Too adorable
December 23rd, 2008 at 5:00 pm
Love Natalie Hanson. She seems like such a class act. Not a huge fan of the name, but I love that they found it by going through ancestry records – my sister and I do that all the time! As well as “pouring” through the baby name books. I love doing that!
She’s amazing. Congrats to the Hanson family – I can’t wait for even more adorable babies!
December 23rd, 2008 at 7:23 pm
I KNEW IT! After the news broke, I was facebooking to a friend about it and told her, “Viggo is probably a throw back to [Hanson's] ancestrial homeland.” and “Mount Moriah was the place God told Abraham to go build an alter so that he could sacrifice his son, Isaac.” I don’t know why it tickels me so much that I got the meaning of the name right, but it does.
I also love that Natalie as big of a baby name fan as I am! Drives my hubby nuts, but I am constantly thinking up names we will obviously never get to use (unless we have as many kids as the Duggars.) lol.
December 23rd, 2008 at 10:36 pm
Ooh, love to see another name fan! Haha, I have a baby book for names and am constantly thinking of names for my future kids (which is a loooong way down the road!). I’m glad I’m not the only one who does that.
December 24th, 2008 at 3:37 am
So far all 3 Hanson brothers have proved (IMO) to choose beautiful and meaningful names. I just can’t get enough of this family, I looooove them.
December 24th, 2008 at 8:19 am
I think its wonderful when people choose first names that reflect their ethnic heritage, like my mother chose for me. The Hansons are Danish on their father’s side and very proud of it. Good work, Taylor and Natalie-the name is adorable!
December 24th, 2008 at 11:38 am
“We were thinking of other Biblical names like Josiah and Jeremiah that to us sounded so masculine.”
I find this amusing because in Israel Moriah is a name for girls…
Viggo is a cute name though and it will be great if the kid will be as multi-talented as Viggo Mortensen!
December 24th, 2008 at 12:55 pm
Well, I love the name and I didn’t assume they named their new son after Viggo Mortenson. Not even Mariah Carey, either.
Viggo is such a strong masculine name if I haven’t said it enough already. Plus it’s nice to see parents unafraid of choosing a name they love and sticking with it, even if it’s a name already known in Hollywood.
I am jealous because I could never use it with our family name combo
Well done to them!
December 25th, 2008 at 7:41 pm
i love the name viggo.
but not a huge fan of moriah.
cute family!