Why Ringo Starr Chose a ‘Western’ Name for His Son

The “Fab Four” are also fathers, with each Beatles member getting married and having at least one child. When Ringo Starr has his first son with Mo Starkey, he chose a name that sounded “western” — even if he didn’t think it was a cowboy name. 

Here’s what the drummer said about his child’s name.

Which members of the Beatles have children?

All four Beatles members were married at one point, the first of whom was John Lennon. He wed his college sweetheart after she became pregnant with their first son, Julian. 

The couple eventually divorced (with Paul McCartney writing “Hey Jude” for Lennon’s son), and Lennon had a second child with Yoko Ono. 

McCartney has five children — Heather, Mary, Stella, James and Beatrice McCartney. Four of those were with his late wife, Linda McCartney. 

George Harrison’s only child is Dhani Harrison, through his marriage with his second wife, Olivia, born in 1978. The Beatles’ drummer, Ringo Starr, married his girlfriend Mo Starkey (then Maureen Tigrett) after she became pregnant with their first child. 

Ringo Starr elaborated on the meaning behind his son’s name

In 1965, Ringo Starr and his wife hosted a press conference following the birth of his first son. There, he revealed the name of the child — Zak Starkey, who was born at Queen Charlotte Hospital in London.

Starr said the couple chose the name because they “liked” it. The interviewer noted that it’s almost a “cowboy” name, referencing the rise of cowboys in American pop culture. The drummer disagreed, saying it was “more of a western” name.

“I’ve sort of had this name in [my] mind for years, you know. Zak. It’s not short for Zacharias or anything like that, you know,” Starr said (via Beatles Interviews). 

“We both liked the name, and it’s sort of a strong name,” he added. “And it’s good, you know. And we found out today it means — Oh, what’s it mean! It means something in Czechoslovakian. Scholar! Scholar in Czechoslovakian.”

Is Ringo Starr’s son a drummer?

Ringo Starr’s son became interested in music at a young age, teaching himself to play the drums. Starkey began playing with the Who in 1996, later performing at the Super Bowl with the band. 

“It was great,” Starr said during a Hard Rock interview of his son joining the Who. “I mean the Who are my son’s band. He was a Who fan. Keith Moon was ‘Uncle Keith’ to him. He felt he should’ve been in the band 10 years earlier, actually, but he had to wait. And I’m glad.”

Zak Starkey joined Oasis as their third drummer, also creating the bands named Johnny Marr & The Healers and Boomslang. Even if the Beatles disbanded in 1970, Ringo Starr continued to release music as a solo artist.