Model Ashley Graham and husband Justin Ervin revealed the name of their newborn son, Isaac Menelik Giovanni Ervin, and the meaning behind it is so special. She gave birth to the beautiful baby boy on January 18, and the new parents gave details about his powerful name that “points to legacy” on the February 4 episode of Ashley’s “Pretty Big Deal” podcast.
Justin has been holding on to the name Isaac since he was in high school. He and his sister would sweetly talk about what names they liked for their future children. “She was always brainstorming names and I brainstormed my own name for my future son — I knew it was going to be Isaac,” Justin explained on his wife’s podcast.
Menelik was inspired by a trip to Ethiopia the couple took last Christmas. “Menelik is the first emperor of Ethiopia,” Ashley said. “It also means son of the wise, and Menelik was the son of Queen of Sheba and King Solomon.”
As for Giovanni, that’s the Italian name for John. Not only is it a nod to Justin’s European roots, but both of the couple’s grandfathers are named John. We love how much thought Ashley and her hubby put into Isaac’s name!
This is Ashley’s first child with husband Justin Ervin. The couple announced they were pregnant on their ninth wedding anniversary in August 2019.
“Nine years ago today, I married the love of my life,” she captioned the Instagram post with her hubby. “It has been the best journey with my favorite person in the world! Today, we are feeling so blessed, grateful and excited to celebrate with our GROWING FAMILY! Happy anniversary, [Justin]. Life is about to get even better.”
It’s been a whirlwind since then. Ashley has documented every step of the way, including the good and the bad. The mom of one has always been about promoting self-love, but she admitted it became a struggle to always remain positive while her body underwent many natural changes. After Ashley shared her first naked pregnancy photo, which put her tummy and stretch marks on display, she unexpectedly broke down.
“I had just announced that I was pregnant and I thought I was [going to] feel good … and I didn’t. I just felt terrible,” she revealed on her video series called Fearless in November.
The brunette beauty continued, “That morning actually, I really thought to myself, ‘Get it together, Ashley. There are other women out there who are going through the same thing as you. ‘Why don’t you have a dialogue with them? This is a new body that I’m walking into. Why don’t I just put myself out there with this new body?'”
Luckily, she was able to lift herself up. From there, she continued posting more photos of her bare body, which simultaneously empowered her and inspired others. She even revealed she gained 50 pounds and chose to embrace it. Yes, girl!
“The best part is, I don’t care!” she captioned an IG photo in December. “I have never felt better, and I am so thankful that my body and son have allowed me to be as mobile and flexible as I have been. Between working out, yoga, acupuncture and lymphatic massages — I finally feel like I figured out this whole pregnancy thing and how to feel my best.”
We bet she feels ecstatic now that her baby boy is here. Congrats to the couple!