Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, is the father of 12 children with three different partners.
President-elect Donald Trump named Musk to co-lead a new “Department of Government Efficiency.” The Tesla CEO is expected to cut spending and “dismantle Government Bureaucracy,” Trump said in a statement. His potential position in the Trump administration and his alignment with the “pronatalist” movement (which advocates for having lots of kids), continue to draw attention to his personal life.
With 11 living children, Musk certainly has a big family.
The X owner has six children with his ex-wife Justine Wilson. Their first child, a boy named Nevada, died as an infant. He and his then-wife had five more children: twins and then a set of triplets. Musk later welcomed three children with musician Grimes, whose legal name is Claire Elise Boucher, and twins and another child with tech executive Shivon Zilis.
Walter Isaacson, who wrote a biography and Time magazine cover story about Musk, spoke about Musk’s views on family during a 2023 appearance on TODAY.
“He believes that people should have many more children,” Isaacson explained, adding that Musk personally “wants to have a lot of children.”
Here’s a closer look at his relationships with his children.
Nevada Alexander Musk (2002 -2002) — with Justine Wilson
The business mogul and his first wife welcomed their first child together, a son named Nevada, in 2002. He reportedly died from complications related to sudden infant death syndrome when he was 10 weeks old, according to the New York Times.
“My firstborn son died in my arms,” Musk wrote in a February 2022 email exchange reported by Business Insider India. “I felt his heartbeat.”
In November 2022, Wilson refuted Musk’s claim that he had been the one to hold their son in his final moments, writing on X: “A SIDS-related incident that put him on life support. He was declared brain-dead. And not that it matters to anyone except me because it is one of the most sacred and defining moments of my life, but I was the one who was holding him.”
Griffin Musk (2004) — with Justine Wilson
After the death of their son, Nevada, Musk and Wilson welcomed their first set of multiple children: a pair of twins.
Griffin Musk and Vivian Wilson were conceived via in vitro fertilization, according to an October 2024 profile by the New York Times.
In May 2024, Musk commented on a photo shared on X that he and Griffin had attended an American Express event together in Miami.
“That’s my eldest son, Griffin, who was with me at the event,” he wrote.
Vivian Jenna Wilson (2004) — with Justine Wilson
Vivian is a twin to brother Griffin and was also born in 2004.
She has been outspoken about her opinions regarding her father in recent years.
In 2022, she legally changed her name and gender, saing that her gender identity and desire to distance herself from Musk both figured into her decision, according to the Associated Press.
“I no longer live with or wish to be related to my biological father in any way, shape or form,” she explained in her legal petition. Musk said in a 2024 interview with controversial conservative commentator Jordan Peterson that Vivan was “killed by the woke mind virus.”
Vivian spoke to NBC News shortly after, and said she hadn’t spoken to her father in four years.
“I would like to emphasize one thing: I am an adult. I am 20 years old. I am not a child,” she said. “My life should be defined by my own choices.”
Kai Musk (2006) — with Justine Wilson
After having twins, Wilson and Musk welcomed triplets — all boys —in 2006: Kai, Saxon and Damian. The birth order of the triplets is unknown.
In August 2024, Musk commented on an X photo that showed him meeting the prime minister of India with two boys.
“Damian & Kai,” Musk wrote.
Saxon Musk (2006) — with Justine Wilson
Saxon is one of Musk and Wilson’s triplets, born in 2006. Musk has referenced his son multiple times on X.
“My 14-year-old son, Saxon, said he feels like 2021 will be a good year,” Musk posted in January 2021. “I agree. Let us all make it so.”
In June 2022, Musk wrote on the platform, “My son, Saxon, suggested having a party for the whole world, a world party day!”
Damian Musk (2006) — with Justine Wilson
Damian is one of Musk and Wilson’s triplets, born in 2006.
In 2021, Musk commented on a video shared on X of Damian playing a piano during a visit to a senior living community.
Two years after the birth of their triplets, in 2008, Musk and Wilson divorced, according to NBC News.
X Æ A-Xii Musk (2020) — with Grimes
Canadian musician Grimes and Musk had a son in May 2020.
Originally named X Æ A-12, the child (whom they call X) had to have his name officially changed to X Æ A-Xii in order to align with California laws regarding birth certificates.
The child’s name is pronounced “X Ash A Twelve,” Musk explained on “The Joe Rogan Experience” podcast shortly after his birth.
“First of all, my partner’s the one that mostly came up with the name,” he said. “It’s just X, the letter X, and then the ‘Æ’ is pronounced, ‘Ash,’ and then, ‘A-12’ is my contribution.”
He and Grimes split in September 2021, later rekindling their relationship before separating again.
Exa Dark Sideræl Musk (2021) — with Grimes
Elon Musk and singer Grimes welcomed their daughter, Exa Dark Sideræl, via surrogate in December 2021.
Grimes told Vanity Fair in a March 2022 feature that the baby’s name is pronounced “sigh-deer-ee-el,” but nicknamed “Y.”
“There’s no real word for it,” she told the magazine when asked about her relationship status with Musk at the time. “I would probably refer to him as my boyfriend, but we’re very fluid. We live in separate houses. We’re best friends. We see each other all the time. … We just have our own thing going on, and I don’t expect other people to understand it.”
In the interview, she also mentioned that she and Musk hoped to have more children. “We’ve always wanted at least three or four.”
On March 10, 2022, after the article was released, Grimes tweeted that she and Musk had broken up again.
Techno Mechanicus Musk (2022) — with Grimes
Techno Mechanicus Musk, nicknamed “Tau,” was born in mid-June 2022.
In September 2023, a New York Times review of Isaacson’s Musk biography revealed that Musk and Grimes had welcomed Techno. Grimes also mentioned Techno in a lengthy X post, writing, in part, “I wish I could show u how cute little Techno is but my priority rn is keeping my babies out of the public eye.”
She added, “Plz respect that at this time.”
In September 2023, Grimes filed a court petition to establish parental rights after she and Musk broke up again.
Strider Musk (2021) — with Shivon Zilis
In November 2021, Musk welcomed twins Strider and Azure with Zilis.
Isaacson described Zilis in his Time cover story as Musk’s “intellectual companion on artificial intelligence since the founding of OpenAI eight years earlier.”
Isaacson also revealed the names of the twins in the Time cover story and shared a photo of them.
Azure Musk (2021) — with Shivon Zilis
A 2024 New York Times profile on Musk reported that he had built a $35 million “family compound” in Texas for all of his children and two of their mothers to live together. Zilis had reportedly moved into one of the homes on the compound with their children.
On Sept. 8, 2023, Zilis shared a video on X of her twins running around, with one of them yelling, “I love you.”
Child whose name is not known (2024) — with Shivon Zilis
Musk and Zilis quietly welcomed their third child together in 2024. The child’s name and gender have not been made public.
“All our friends and family know,” Musk told Page Six in June 2024, soon after news of the newborn’s birth became public. “Failure to issue a press release, which would be bizarre, does not mean ‘secret.’”
