Gigi Hadid is recognized worldwide, yet plenty of people are surprised to learn that ‘Gigi’ isn’t the name she was given at birth…
The 31-year-old first appeared in the public eye back in 2012, featuring on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills with her mother, Yolanda Hadid.
From there, she built a major modeling career of her own. After signing with IMG Models in 2013, Hadid hit the runway at New York Fashion Week the following year.
She later made her Victoria Secret Fashion Show debut in 2015, before earning her first set of angel wings in 2016. In 2020, she welcomed her first child, daughter Khai, whom she shares with former One Direction singer Zayn Malik.
Even with all of that well-known history, many fans still don’t realize what her actual name is.
Hadid’s real name is Jelena Noura Hadid — so how did “Gigi” become the name everyone knows?
The nickname came from her mom. Yolanda, who previously starred on RHOBH, was reportedly called ‘Gigi’ at home when she was young, thanks to her own mother — and the name later carried over to her daughter.
“I was called that around the house when I was really young, kind of like how my mom was called it,” Gigi told Vogue in a 2015 interview.
She also explained that a classmate with a similar name made things tricky for her teacher in first grade.
“The teacher asked my mom, ‘If I needed to call Jelena a nickname, what would it be?’ And my mom was like, “I call her Gigi sometimes,” and the name stuck,” the mother of one revealed.
The interview has started circulating again after her name dominated headlines last week, following her standout Met Gala appearance. Hadid shared that her striking custom Miu Miu look was created just two days before the event — something few would have guessed from the finished result.
She is currently dating Hangover star Bradley Cooper. The two were first linked romantically in 2023 and have remained together since.
During a recent Vogue interview at the Met, Hadid made a rare remark about Cooper, giving a quick ‘shout-out’ to ‘her man,’ and later mentioning him by name.
Cooper also made an unexpected appearance around this year’s Met Gala. While he didn’t join Hadid on the carpet, reports suggest he met up with her inside.
Hadid has only posed on the Met Gala red carpet with a partner once before — when she attended alongside Malik in 2016.