Mindy Kaling became a mom of two in September, and though we've gotten nary a glimpse at her infant son's little hand or even a toe, we now know how she chose his name, Spencer, and how it fits in with her daughter's name [1], Katherine. In an interview with People, Mindy shared the inspiration behind her kids' names and why she went the "classic" route rather than choosing something unique.
"I don't trust my own judgement with those kinds of names," Mindy said of the more unique baby names [2] that have popped up in recent years. "If I name my son River, that connotes a certain kind of person who is very go with the flow, artsy. But what if he's not like that at all? Will he be furious with me? I just tried to pick classic names that felt like they would have to work really hard to get mad at me about later."
And as it turns out, those classic names pay homage to legendary Hollywood couple Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy. A few weeks before revealing that her kids' names were inspired by the "incredible" celebrity duo, Mindy shared both Katherine and Spencer's middle names [4] in the comments of a Dec. 2 Instagram post featuring her Vogue India cover.
When asked whether her kids have Indian middle names by a fan, Mindy replied: "They do! Swati and Avu!" Katherine shares her middle name, Swati, with Mindy's late mother, Swati Roysircar. "It's my mom's name. It's gorgeous and meaningful."