By The British Chronicle | Celebrity & Family Desk
Television favourite Declan Donnelly has left fans speechless after quietly revealing new names for both of his children — names that, according to experts and baby name databases, have never appeared in official UK birth records before.
🍼 A Private Announcement with Surprising Details
Known for his fiercely guarded family life, Donnelly made the announcement during a private charity dinner attended by close friends and ITV colleagues last weekend. A guest at the event said:
“When Dec stood up to speak, everyone thought he was just thanking donors. But then he shared the new names for his children — and the whole room fell silent.”
🧒 The Two Unheard-of Names
Sources say the names are not only completely original in spelling and structure, but also carry deeply personal meanings for the Donnelly family — believed to be tied to his parents' Irish heritage and a rare literary reference known only among close friends.
The children, previously referred to by common first names, will now be known publicly by:
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Aurelyn Maeve (daughter)
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Caeloran Finn (son)
Both names are currently unregistered in the top 10,000 most common British baby names — making this a rare case of a celebrity family inventing names that sound poetic yet carry no precedent.
💬 Public Reaction
Fans have taken to social media with mixed reactions — ranging from admiration to sheer curiosity:
“Absolutely magical names — like characters from a storybook.”
“Never heard either name before, but I love them already.”
“Caeloran? That's a future Prime Minister or a rock star, no in-between.”
🤐 Why the Change?
While no formal interview has been given yet, a close source to the Donnelly household explained:
“It wasn’t about publicity. They simply wanted names that felt meaningful, timeless, and completely theirs.”
📜 A Growing Trend?
Declan’s decision follows a broader celebrity trend of creating bespoke names — but few have opted for names this rare, with many online naming databases already updating to include “Aurelyn” and “Caeloran” as entries for the first time.