AJ McLean and his wife Rochelle have explained why their daughter decided to change her name.
The Backstreet Boys star took to Instagram on Wednesday to share a photo of daughters Elliott, nine, and Lyric, five, celebrating their return to the classroom after being home-schooled throughout the Covid-19 pandemic.
After fans questioned the couple why Elliott, who was formerly known as Ava, had changed her name, Rochelle noted that she simply wanted a more "unique" moniker.
"For those asking... not that it's anyone's business but Elliott's name change is not a gender thing. 'Ava' has changed her name quite a few times since she was about five," she wrote in a post on her Instagram Stories on Thursday. "Last year she asked us to start calling her Elliott and it stuck. She wanted something unique that no one else had. (There are so many Ava's.)"
Rochelle went on to ask fans to accept Elliott's choice and to "be kind".
"I didn't really see the harm in respecting her desire to be unique. Come to think of it, it's a little odd that as parents we choose names for people we haven't even met yet and expect them to forever (identify) as that person! Anyway... so that's how Ava became Elliott," the mother-of-two continued. "I knew once I put it out there people would have opinions, but be kind. She's just a kid trying to make her way in this crazy world! I just want her to know she can always be whoever she wants to be."
