Basketball star Steph Curry and his wife, actress Ayesha Curry, just welcomed their fourth child — and they may or may not have given him a very Jewish middle name.
This week, the widely beloved couple shared on Instagram a black and white photo of them holding their newborn’s little hand, announcing that he came early on May 10. They also shared that his name is Caius Chai Curry.
Cauis joins his three siblings: Riley Elizabeth Curry born in July 2012, Ryan Carson Curry born in July 2015 and Canon W. Jack Curry born in July 2018. Caius is a Latin name that means “rejoice, glad, delight, pleased” (and also a familiar one for “Twilight” fans — it’s the name of one of the Volturi vampire leaders from the book and movie series).
Most people know the word “chai” as the Hindi word for tea, but for Jews, that word, pronounced with the Hebrew “chet,” is perhaps one of the most auspicious words and names. Chai means life, alive. The number 18, which is the numerical value of the word chai (chet is 8 and yud is 10), is also considered an important and lucky number, which is why many Jewish people donate and give money in multiples of $18.
The line “Am Israel Chai,” which means “the people of Israel live” — a term used to refer to the Jewish people as a whole — is one that you have probably seen and heard a lot since October 7. Many have also taken comfort from an Ofra Haza song called “Chai,” which the Yemeni Israeli singer of blessed memory sang on the Eurovision stage in Germany back in 1983. And of course, many people know of the Hebrew toast of “l’chaim,” meaning “to life,” popularized by “Fiddler on the Roof.” Both Chai and Chaim are popular Hebrew boys names.
It’s not clear why the Currys chose the name Chai or if they were aware of or intentionally choosing the name for its Jewish meaning . The couple is Pentecostal Christian and met in church when they were teens. Curry’s mom, Sonya who started a Christian Montessori School together with his father, has been learning Hebrew for years following a life-altering visit to Israel, so it is likely that she at least knows the meaning of the name. Curry himself also has a fascination with Hebrew. He has two Hebrew tattoos — a matching one with Ayesha, which reads “love never fails” and one of his last name, spelled out in Hebrew letters. The Golden State Warriors player has even wore a hoodie with Hebrew embroidery during for the 2022 NBA finals.
Whatever the reason behind the naming choice, it is quite a beautiful middle name for their fourth and, according to Ayesha, last child.
On her site, Sweet July, Ayesha wrote about how she had been reliant on her “village” more than ever during this pregnancy, which includes both the people around her and “in the more abstract sense… my spirituality; my relationship to God; my relationship with myself.” She also wrote about how being pregnant at age 35 had been different for her.
“What’s been really interesting has been my doctor’s appointments. I’m in my 30s, and so there’s all this paperwork referring to the experience as a ‘geriatric pregnancy’ and all the concerns that come along with that. I think there’s something that needs to be more nuanced when it comes to women, their age, and conversations around having children. Many women in their 30s and 40s are going through this for the first time, and being told you’re ‘old’ feels alarming and wild. I think the narrative needs to be shifted a little bit,” she shared. We couldn’t agree more.
Mazel tov to the Curry family and congratulations on choosing such a beautiful name.
