Why AJ McLean's Daughter Decided To Change Her Name To Elliott

Backstreet Boys singer AJ McLean's eldest daughter now goes by a name other than the one on her birth certificate and McLean explained the reason why.

The boy bander welcomed two daughters with cosmetologist and now ex-wife Rochelle McLean after they got married back in 2011. The couple welcomed their first child — who was named Ava — in 2012, and their second daughter, Lyric, in 2015. Between reunion tours with the Backstreet Boys and competing on shows like "RuPaul's Secret Celebrity Drag Race," AJ has been dedicated to his duties as a father. In 2022, AJ told People he's the only father he sees dropping his kids off at school every morning.

After being homeschooled for two years during the COVID-19 pandemic, the two McLean children returned to in-person classes for the 2022-2023 school year. In a sweet back-to-school photoshoot, each of them can be seen holding a huge balloon with their names written on it alongside the "first day" of their grade levels. Some people noticed that the eldest McLean daughter's balloon said "Elliott" instead of her birth-given name, so the "Larger Than Life" singer clarified the name change.

If celebs can adopt a stage name, then a child should be able to choose their own moniker, or so singer AJ McLean and his ex-wife, Rochelle McLean, would agree. In September 2022, AJ spoke with People about why their daughter, Elliott, asked to be called a name other than the one her parents originally gave her. The father of two recounted how his eldest daughter insisted her name wasn't "unique" enough, as there are many others named "Ava" in her school and dance classes. The "I Want It That Way" singer noted that Elliott was inspired by the name of the dragon from the youth fiction book, "Pete's Dragon."

"When my daughter asked to change her name to Elliott, initially, I didn't know if it was a transgender thing, which it is not, but it is a personal choice," AJ explained. "And it is her body, it's her name, it's her everything. And she's still Ava. She'll always be Ava to me ... Whatever journey both my girls have, I will be in their corner a million percent, my wife will be in their corner and support them, whatever their path is and whatever their journey is. That's just the family that we are."

Rochelle went on to add on her Instagram Story that she "didn't see the harm in respecting [Elliott's] desire to be unique." Amen!

Over the years, AJ McLean has shown how his children are enjoying the cool perks of being linked to one of the Backstreet Boys. When the hit '90s boyband reunited for the DNA World Tour in 2022, the singer brought out Elliott and Lyric onto the stage at the Hollywood Bowl and they got to say a few words to the audience. AJ's Backstreet Boys connections also allowed his daughters to meet "Attention" singer Charlie Puth in December 2022, as seen in their smiling photo on his Instagram.

Back in March, Elliott and Lyric served as their father's plus-ones for the premiere of "The Super Mario Bros. Movie" "This is Lyric's first ever red carpet and as expected she killed it," AJ captioned his Instagram post. "Obviously Elliott killed it as well. Almost movie time. Let's go!!"

Reflecting on his fame and fatherhood in a 2019 interview with Entertainment Tonight, AJ emphasized how important it was to him for his kids to lead relatively normal lives. "I never had a homecoming, I didn't play sports, I never had a prom — until my 40th birthday when my wife threw me one," he opened up in the interview. "There's something to be said about losing those moments in your life, and what I hope for my kids is to experience those things."