Brenda Song Gives Birth: Here's The Meaning Behind The Baby's Name

Actress Brenda Song and her partner Macaulay Culkin welcomed their first child on April 5, a boy named Dakota Song Culkin.

Song and Culkin had kept the pregnancy quiet, not posting any updates or maternity photos on either of their social media pages. The couple provided Esquire with a very brief statement about the birth: “We’re overjoyed.”

The two named their child after Culkin’s late sister, Dakota, who died in 2008.

This gender-neutral name comes from the Native American people, who originated in the northern Mississippi valley and are a sub-tribe of the Sioux. The name means “allies or friends” in the Dakota language.

"Dakota" was a very popular name around 1995 and was used for more males than females until around 2010 and remained popular in recent years.

Culkin, 40, who drew fame for starring in the 1990 comedy "Home Alone," was very vocal about the two working on having a baby and “practicing a lot,” he said on Joe Rogan’s podcast in 2019.

“[With] this one, I’m going to have some pretty babies. She’s Asian, so I’m gonna have tiny little Asian babies. It’s going to be adorable — a bunch of Sean Lennons running around the house, that’s what I’m looking for,” he said.

Song, 33, starred in the teen sitcom, "The Suite Life of Zack & Cody," which aired from 2005 to 2008. She also had a minor role in the 2010 film, "The Social Network."