Ivanka Trump's Real Name Isn't What You Might Think
Ivanka Trump is well-known across the world for being the eldest daughter (and supposed favorite child) of former President Donald Trump. She was born in Manhattan in 1981 to Ivana Trump, Donald's first wife and the mother of his eldest three children. Ivanka grew up the middle child, sandwiched by her two brothers, Donald Jr. and Eric, and witnessed firsthand the notoriously messy split between her parents, which culminated in their 1992 divorce, when she was only 10 years old.
Although she was evidently named after her mother, Ivanka has had a famously (and sometimes infamously) close relationship with her father, which culminated in an (unpaid) position in his administration, and a frontline role on the campaign trail. Ivanka has, unsurprisingly, also proved to be one of the most influential people in her father's inner circle during his presidency.
However, what many followers of the Trumps may not know is that Ivanka isn't the former president's daughter's real name. In fact, her birth name, which has a fascinating story behind it, is probably not what you think.
Ivanka Trump was named after her mother, Ivana
As many are likely aware, Ivanka Trump was named after her mother, Ivana Trump. However, her real name is actually a lot closer to her mother's name than you might think. In fact, it is exactly her mother's name: Ivana Trump. As Ivanka revealed in a 2010 tweet, "Ivanka" is a Slavic diminutive of "Ivana," similar to "Bobby" and "Robert" in English. Ivana, who died in July, was a Czech immigrant who taught (or attempted to teach) her kids how to speak the language. Ivanka has said she speaks Czech "poorly," though her elder brother, Donald Jr., is fluent.
In her 2017 memoir "Raising Trump," Ivana revealed that it was she who got to decide the children's names, not Donald. "This is going to be what it is," she wrote, per ABC News. "I carry my kid for nine months, and this is what's going to be ... [Donald] wanted to call Ivanka Tiffany, because we got the heir rights for the Trump Tower from Tiffany [& Co]." As followers of the Trumps are surely well aware, Donald eventually won this battle with his next wife, Marla Maples, as they named their only child Tiffany.
Despite Donald's preference, Ivana insisted on her own name (with Ivanka's middle name, Marie, even a diminutive of her mother's middle name, Maria), which came four years after Donald Jr. was named after his father. However, this was also not Donald's choice.
Donald Trump has a problematic history with naming his children
As Ivana Trump revealed in her memoir, she was all in charge of naming all three of her children. This is why many followers of Donald Trump may be surprised to hear that he was not the one who decided to name his eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., after himself; in fact, he was quite opposed to it. Many, however, will likely not be shocked when they hear the reason why.
Ivana wanted to name their first-born child after Donald, Ivana revealed in "Raising Trump," per ABC News, but when Donald revealed his opposition, she asked why. "He said, 'How about if he's a loser?'" she wrote. However, just like Ivanka, she insisted, and won. Whether or not Trump believes his eldest son is a loser is an open question, especially given his famously strong preference for Ivanka, though he is certainly one of his father's biggest fans, and constantly stumped for him on the 2016 and 2020 campaign trails.
Of course, Trump finally got to name a daughter Tiffany, after the famed jewelers — the first child he had after Ivana, with Marla Maples — and continued his trend of Trumpian names with the birth of his youngest son Barron with Melania in 2006. "Barron," of course, when spelt with one fewer "r," is often used to refer to British nobility, and are often referred to as "Lords."