Halle Berry’s son Maceo Martinez named after his Spanish ancestry

Halle Berry’s son Maceo Martinez named after his Spanish ancestry - voxxi.com

Posted on October 9, 2013 By Daysi Calavia-Lopez Celebrities

Halle Berry and Olivier Martinez welcomed baby boy, Maceo Robert Martinez, this past Saturday. (AP Photo/Francois Mori)

Actress Halle Berry surprised everybody naming her newborn son Maceo Robert Martinez.

So, what’s in a name?

The Oscar-winning actress and husband Olivier Martinez welcomed baby Maceo upon his arrival this past Saturday at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, Calif.

Martinez who made a name for himself in his homeland France, acting in movies such as “un, deux, trois, soleil“  or “1,2,3, Freeze” is originally from the suburbs of Paris but chose the name Maceo because of its meaning and relation to his Spanish ancestry.

Maceo or “Gift from God” was a name the couple picked some months back, a nod to Martinez’s father who was born in Spain.

Maceo is Berry and Martinez’s first child together. He is also be Nahla Ariela’s first little brother. Nahla is the 47-year-old actress’ daughter from a previous relationship with model Gabriel Aubry.

Halle Berry to raise son as an American

Martinez is French with a Spanish background, likewise Berry is also of mixed descent.

She was born Maria Halle Berry but her name was switched to Halle Maria Berry when she turned five. Her mother was white of English and German ancestry and her father was African American.

Of races and nationalities Martinez has said, “My son will remain an American, but I will remain French. I remain a Frenchman in America, but I adapt to American culture. I feel good there– But I’m still a foreigner.”

In his interview with People magazine in late June he again confirmed “My son will be an American.”

In a previous article, VOXXI touched upon the fact that Bruno Mars, born Peter Hernandez, had changed his last name to avoid being stereotyped as a Latino singer by music industry executives. We wonder if Halle Berry’s son Maceo’s last name might raise some questions about his identity in the future.

Just how effective are last names in identifying what ancestry, country or ethnicity to assign to a person? Does a last name make a person Latino?

One thing is certain: culture, appearance, ethnicity and race are all ingredients in the cooking pot of identity. So when the cooking timer sounds off,  will we be able to answer “Who is Latino?”

Halle Berry was born Maria Halle Berry and later changed her name to Halle Maria Berry.

Read more: http://www.voxxi.com/halle-berrys-son-maceo-martinez/#ixzz2hIvxkIQ0