Billie Eilish reveals why she 'absolutely hated' her name growing up: 'I remember just being so mad'

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Billie Eilish has opened up about her feelings toward her unique name, saying she once struggled with it during childhood.

The 23-year-old singer answered how she got her first name and how she felt about it growing up.

Billie Eilish wanted a 'girly name like Violet or Lavender'

When Idris Elba, 52, asked Billie Eilish on British Vogue, “Who was the first namesake you ever came across and how did it make you feel?”

The nine-time Grammy winner added to the question, "Were you proud of your name, or were you embarrassed?"

“I absolutely hated my name when I was a kid,” Eilish replied candidly.

“I remember just being so mad, and all I wanted was to have a girly name, like Violet or like Lavender, some sort of, you know, pretty flowery name.”

She explained how people often told her, “I thought Billie was a boy’s name,” which made her upset.

Over time, though, her feelings changed. “Now there’s no other name in the universe that could be my name besides Billie,” she said.

“I love my name so so so much. It really is the only possible choice for who I am. I just feel like it’s exactly perfect for me and who I am," she said.

Billie Eilish reveals she was named after her late grandfather

Billie Eilish revealed that her name has a deep family connection. “So technically the first Billy I ever knew was my grandfather, but I never met him,” she said.

Her grandfather’s name was William, and he died shortly before she was born. That’s when her parents decided to name her Billie in his honor.

Her full name is Billie Eilish Pirate Baird O’Connell. According to her 2021 self-titled book, her older brother Finneas was the one who gave her the middle name “Pirate” during his pirate phase.

“They called me pirate for months, and they were kind of planning on naming me Pirate,” she said at the time, as reported by USA TODAY.

“And soon before I was born, my grandfather died, and his name was William, AKA Bill, Billie. And that’s where my name came from," she added.

Billie Eilish recalls being ‘jealous’ of Billie Piper

The first woman named Billie that the singer became aware of was 'Doctor Who' actress Billie Piper.

“I loved Doctor Who, so I was very, very excited about that,” Eilish said.

“But then at the same time I was jealous and mad because I was like, ‘Why would anybody say my name and mean someone else? Unacceptable!’” she said during the latest interview.

Most recently, Eilish surprised fans at Coachella on Saturday, April 12, when she appeared during Charli XCX’s set.

The two performed their 2024 hit 'Guess' together, with Charli, 32, sharing the stage with the pop icon.