My Name is Earl actor Jason Lee is tired of people asking him about the unusualness of his three year old son Pilot Inspektor’s name – and points out that hey, other names have odd meanings if you think about it as well! He says, "Somehow the name ‘Bob’ has become normal. Why ‘Bob?’ That’s something you do for apples on Halloween!"
Source: Rolling Stone
Although I would not personally name my child Pilot or give him the middle name Inspektor, I think it’s up to each child’s parents to name them. My parents gave me a first name but they call me by my middle name and many think that thats weird. I just hope their son is happy and healthy! I think in the end that’s all that matters.
- C on
If he is tired of all the questions…he should have given his child a name that doesn’t invite them.
- ls on
Sorry, but very little sympath from someone who chooses to give his child an annoyingly odd “name” and then complains that people are curious. Of course they are. Perhaps he should have thought of this before he chose Pilot Inspektor over Bob.
- ls on
???? well may it’s because Bob comes from Robert and Pilot Inspektor comes from someone flying planes and someone working for i.e. the police…so it’s not quite the same. I mean if you give your kid such a wierd name then you have to live with the consequences (poor kid though).
- fynn on
As much as I like Jason Lee, his “Bob” comment makes no sense. Bob comes from the rhyming pattern of nicknames in the middle ages and is, in fact, Robert. If you’re going to go with such an unusal choice as Pilot Inspektor, you have to be prepared for the comments.
Still, really adorable kid.
- Anne on
I think if you are going to name your child such an unusual name than you need to be prepared for the questions!
The difference between Pilot Inspektor and other “normal” names is that pilot inspektor has a pre established meaning! Pilot Inspektor definitely ranks as the most unusual. Why put the two together?
- angie on
LOL he’s got a point!!
but Pilot doesn’t sound that bad until you put inspektor behind it then it just sounds odd!
- joy on
Since I have brothers, I remember Jason Lee as a Skater before his acting gig. I have loved him since Mallrats. With the name of his child. He does have a point but c’mon Jason, this is the good ol’ USA, everyone questions every unusal name given to a child. Jason if they keep on asking, just keep on walking..
- Natalie S. on
Ha, he raises a good point. Every name was new at some point. every name in every culture was invented by humans; it’s not as if a list of baby names was sent from heaven at the beginning of civilizations. Someone was indeed the first person to name his/her kid Robert.
Maybe in a couple hundred years, the name Pilot will be as common as Michael. You never know 
- Chiara on
I agree with joy… Pilot on its own is not as bad as ‘Pilot Inspektor’ (in my opinion). I do not agree with Jason saying Bob is a weird name, with one exception. I know a man called Bob, and he just does not suit the name at all! In that case it’s weird, but seriously, Pilot Inspektor? I don’t want to sound rude, but I’d really like to know what they were thinking when they named him.
- fumar on
hopefully, pilot inspektor will have a large trust fund so he won’t have to get a job or send out a resume. what employer would take a person with that name seriously? or, hopefully, he’ll have a good voice and make a band.
studies show that people judge you by your name.
i was thinking of nicknames and i really could not think of anything that could substitute for his name.
- natalie on
I personally think it is just a matter of rude people. My name is Jessica and my hubby is Michael…we wanted to do something a little different for the boys but not too funky. I think Harrison (6) and Holden (18 months) are perfectly fine names for little boys. You should see some of the reactions from people.
I am with him on this one!
- Jessica on
He has a great point. The Bob comments make tons of sense. Pilot is not a weird name, different does not make it weird.
- Kori on
come on, not only is the name RIDICULOUS but it’s not even original! i think Penn of Penn & Teller fame named his child something similar. If not him, then some “celeb” in recent years…
- my two cents on
I think it’d be a fun name to have, I like it. I wish mine was half as odd as Pilot Inspektor.
- Jessi on
I am not a big fan of the name. But he sure is a cutie. Lokk at those blonde curls!!
- mommy_2_1 on
If Dad is tired of the questions, imagine how tired Pilot will be in a few years.
- Nancy on
Oh come on! Comparing Bob to Pilot Inspektor?? There is no comparison and The parents knew that. What I find sad is that the parent’s either had no consideration for their child having to have that name his whole life…or that they used it as a publicity stunt. Either way, sad.
- Marikate on
I can’t help but think that movie stars especially have such ENORMOUS egos that they can’t bear to be “ordinary” even though their kids would thank them for it. At least Violet Affleck is named for her grandmother…come to think of it, that doesn’t really fall in the weird name category. How about “Moon Unit”?
- MizLiz on
The name is weird as hell. So is Sugar. So is Apple. So is Bluebell. So is Phoenix Chi. So is Kingston. sSo is Peaches. So is Trixibelle. So is Hiranii. What next? Dimebag? Dingleberry? Whatnot? Widget? Wingnut? Fuzzy Wuzzy? Celebrities must’ve read Dr. Seuss’ “Too Many Daves” and gone wild. What happened to family names? What happened to Saint’s names? What happened to names that wouldn’t be a reason for a kid to get beat up or later arrested just on principle?
Long live Hayley, Hannah, Sarah, Emily, and Kenny, My little Bobs.
- lena on
It is not only celebrities that give their children original names. Perhaps some people have more limited experience, or in their area it is less common to be imaginative. But many celebrities have not gotten where they are by thinking within the box. Why would they begin now? It bothers me to hear the argument that the children will be teased. Why should we cave in to bullies? Rather, we as parents must teach our children not to tease others for any reason. And we should set the example for them – starting by not calling others ‘weird’. I think that often when people say weird, they really mean, I haven’t heard of that before.
- Shmoo on
Pilot…not too bad. Inspektor…um..? Together, that’s just an odd name. You’re going to get questioned on it. He doesn’t have to answer it. Or can just say, “I liked it.”
I have to say, it is annoying at times when people give me a funny look about my son’s name, Declan. Yeah, it’s not terribly known, but it is a name.
And Lena, honey, I went with a saint’s name for my son (St. Declan was an Irish saint from the 6th century, pre-dating St. Patrick) and it didn’t save me from the funny looks and questions about his name. And some of the names in my family…those names wouldn’t work in this day and age.
Chiara, what you said made me remember that the name Wendy comes from Peter Pan. For “friend”. Instead of saying “friend” it was said, “fwendy” and became Wendy, if I remember right. People who first used the name were probably looked at funny. But now, it’s a well-known name. Right now, Pilot is an unusal name, but like you said, maybe it won’t be a few hundred years.
- Marie on
If he thinks he is tired of hearing it, wait until little Pilot Inspektor starts school. Yeah, and read that last sentence out loud…
And what is his nickname? Pile?
- jordana on
WHile I agree that it is nonsensical to compare Bob and Pilot Inspektor; I get his point. We gave our children names that we considered normal, but not commmon; either in this time or in this country. Our daughter is Seraphine- a french variation of St. Seraphina and derivative of the word seraphim, a type of angel- our son is Griffith, a strong ( and very normal 0 welsh name. you should have seen the responses of some fmily members…they seemed embarrassed and introduced out daughter as Sera..when no one calls her that. If we had named her bluebell madonna ( whic I find strangely cute) I would understand them wanting to call her “Bell” maybe…but cripes…
- Seraphine's mama on
Advertisement
PEOPLE.com reserves the right to remove comments at their discretion.
Free Weekly Newsletter
"Your child's not looking at you and going, 'Mmm, I love a clavicle. Let me nestle into that.'"
Today!
