How DO you pronounce X Æ A-12? Social media is baffled by how to say the name of Elon Musk and Grimes' new son - amid speculation the boy is named after a secret CIA spy plane(12 Pics)

Elon Musk and singer Grimes announced the birth of their first child together on Tuesday, telling fans their son's name is X Æ A-12. 

The unusual choice immediately had fans guessing what it might mean, and how to pronounce the series of letters and numbers. 

Some suggested the a-e ligature named Æ would be pronounced 'Ash' and pointed to the X in SpaceX.  

It appears the name may have also been partially inspired by one of the songs from 32-year-old Grimes', real name Claire Boucher, 32, last album - 4ÆM. 

Others noted the Lockheed A-12 was built for the Central Intelligence Agency.  

It was not immediately clear if new dad Musk was having fun with his followers in announcing the name but others joked it would be 'tough on the teacher'. 

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Elon Musk shared the first pictures of his newborn baby boy with singer Grimes on Twitter on Tuesday - it's the singer's first child and his sixth son

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In response to a user's Tweet that read: 'We need the name we literally need it,' Elon replied, 'X Æ A-12 Musk.' It was not immediately clear if new dad Musk was having fun with his followers

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The Lockheed A-12 was a reconnaissance aircraft built for the CIA. It was codenamed Archangel so others have suggested that as a name

After announcing the birth of his son, Musk, 48, also shared pictures of him holding the baby and with a quirky tattoo filter added to the newborn's face. 

He had announced the happy news of his baby's arrival via Twitter, tweeting on Monday evening: 'Mom & baby all good'.  

After telling fans the baby was called X Æ A-12 Musk one Twitter user suggested:  'X for SpaceX, AE for After Earth and A-12 for the original SR-71 designation which was the first reusable vehicle to go to space.'

Another shared links to pages explaining the unusual stream of letters and deduced it would mean the name is: 'Ash Lockheed Musk. Final Answer.'

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The unusual choice immediately had fans guessing what it might mean, and how to pronounce the series of letters and numbers

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But while some tried to decipher what it means, for many the name was just too confusing. 

One Twitter user joked: 'Musk: We name our baby X Æ A-12 Midwife: Sir our bracelet printer won't print that Musk: Let me fix that for you, have this Midwife: Sir that is a submarine.'

Another said: 'But pronounced “Musk” because the X Æ A-12 is silent.' 

One replied to Musk: 'That’s gonna be tough on the teacher'

And one user suggested: 'It’s pronounced “Rachel”.'

One fan said: 'That awkward moment when all names are taken, so you smash all the keys on the keyboard.'

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In March, Grimes said to Rolling Stone of her romance with the SpaceX innovator, which began two years ago this month: 'I do actually just really love my boyfriend'

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The billionaire Tesla CEO shared the first pictures of his newborn baby boy with singer Grimes on Twitter on Tuesday.  

The tech mogul is father to five sons, Griffin, Xavier, Kai, Saxon and Damian from his previous marriage. 

Musk lost his first child Nevada in 2002 at 10 weeks old as result of SIDS.  

Grimes in February said she wants to let her baby choose their own gender identity.

But when asked the sex of the baby on Tuesday, Musk replied: 'Boy.'  

Shares of Tesla Inc tumbled more than 10 per cent on Friday after Musk tweeted that the electric carmaker’s high-flying stock was overly expensive.

'Tesla stock price is too high,' Musk said on Twitter in one of several unusual messages, including ones quoting parts of the US national anthem and that he would sell almost all his physical possessions.

The subsequent share drop erased around $13billion from Tesla’s market value and nearly $3billion from the value of Musk’s stake. 

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Elon Musk, 48, shares first pictures of his sixth son hours after singer Grimes, 32, gave birth - with a quirky tattoo filter added to the newborn's face

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Grimes in January publicly revealed the news with a social media shot of a baby bump

When asked whether she's expecting a boy or a girl during a YouTube live stream  (which has since been made private), Grimes said, 'I don't want to say the gender of the baby ... because I feel like their privacy should be protected. 

'I don't think they can consent to being famous or being in public.'

Grimes also revealed she doesn't want to 'gender' her baby, saying they can "decide their fate and identity' on their own accord.

'I don't want to gender them in case that's not how they feel in their life,' she said. 'I don't know, I just feel like it doesn't need to be known ... They may decide their fate and identity.' 

Grimes publicly revealed her pregnancy with a social media shot of a baby bump in January, and later openly speaking about her pregnancy with followers. 

The So Heavy I Fell Through the Earth artist wrote: 'I’m sorry I haven’t been promoting my album properly or on social media more. This whole thing has been a bit of an ordeal.' 

She added that she 'had some complications early on,' and completed 'a decent second trimester' but was aching at the 25-week mark.

'I feel like I was woefully ill prepared cuz I dunno if pregnancy is as visible or discussed as it should be,' she said. 'I just didn’t [really] understand what I was getting into.'

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Elon Musk and Grimes arrive for the 2018 Met Gala, at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC

In March, she said to Rolling Stone of her romance with the SpaceX innovator, which began two years ago this month: 'I do actually just really love my boyfriend.' 

In the chat with the publication, the Canadian beauty said that she 'just did not understand what I was getting into at all' in dating the famous businessman.

'No one believes me about this,' she said. 'Not that I’m mad about it. I just didn’t think it would be a thing. The s*** that’s happened with my boyfriend this year has overwritten so much of my life’s work.'