Kojii in Models of the Runway (courtesy Lifetime TV)
I recently had the chance to speak with supermodel and supermom KOJII HELNWEIN about her name. She had great stories to share not only about her own name, but about how she chose her daughter’s name and about her pain-free birth (keep reading for details!).
Kojii has been on this season of Lifetime TV’s Project Runway and the new companion series Models of the Runway. I have to admit that when I first heard about Models of the Runway I wasn’t sure I was interested. After I watched the first episode, I was hooked. It’s been so interesting seeing what the models think of the designers and their clothes. After all, who knows fashion better than the model who wears it down the runway?
When I talked to Kojii though, what I really wanted to know about was how she got her name. Turns out I learned the answer to that question and so much more. Kojii had a lot to say about baby names and even had some great advice for parents choosing names.
KOJII HELWEIN INTERVIEW, OCTOBER 2009
By Amanda Elizabeth Barden
TELL ME ABOUT YOUR NAME. DO YOU KNOW HOW YOUR PARENTS CHOSE IT?
One of my dads’ friends told him a story about a Japanese princess named Kojii. My dad was really captivated by the story and wanted to name me Kojii. Later we found out that Kojii is a boy’s name, but we still loved the story.
DO YOU HAVE ANY NICKNAMES?
Koko. One friend of mine latched on to this right away when he met me. It might also be due to my chocolate obsession. People also call me Koj.
DO YOU HAVE A MIDDLE NAME?
No.
WHAT WAS IT LIKE GROWING UP WITH AN UNUSUAL NAME?
It was great. I liked it.
Having an unusual name has opened a lot of doors for me in my career. People often ask about my name and it’s a great conversation starter. It helps me stand out which is important in this business.
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE CELEBRITY TREND OF CHOOSING UNUSUAL BABY NAMES?
I love it. I think it’s cute.
I REMEMBER FROM MODELS OF THE RUNWAY THAT YOU HAVE A DAUGHTER. TELL ME ABOUT HER NAME.
I had such a hard time naming her. I did not want a name that 300 other kids in her school would have.
Originally, I thought I was having a boy so all the names we had picked out were for boys. I did a lot of research into Egyptian and Greek names. Then I researched a lot of old Irish and Celtic stories. Most of the names I found were too difficult to pronounce though. It was important to me to choose a name that other kids wouldn’t be able to easily make fun of. I spent the entire nine months thinking about names.
My daughter’s name is Croí Sequoia. We chose Croí because it’s Irish for “heart.” It’s pronounced “kree.” I thought it was beautiful and loved the meaning.
We chose the middle name Sequoia because Croí is the first American born in the family and we wanted a name with Native American roots.
The name Croí Sequoia literally just came to me when I was in the pool giving birth. So after the birth, I researched and Googled the name Sequoia to make sure there were no bad associations. I learned that George Sequoyah created the Cherokee alphabet. We loved this connection because language is really important in our family. I’m from Ireland and my husband is from Austria. Croí is bilingual and is learning to speak German. The name Sequoia also has a great nature connection.
Three days after Croí’s birth, we read her a list of names. When we said Croí Sequoia, she smiled. It might have meant nothing, but we took it as a sign.
DO YOU REMEMBER ANY OF THE NAMES YOU HAD PICKED OUT FOR BOYS?
I remember that Constantine was on the list.
WHEN I WAS LITTLE I USED TO PICK DIFFERENT NAMES FOR MYSELF WHEN I PLAYED HOUSE (I loved Cindy and Daphne). DID YOU EVER DO THAT?
Constantly! I used to sign birthday cards with different names. I always wanted to know why my parents didn’t name me Sarah or Rose or Lily. For some reason, I was really obsessed with the name Sarah Davidson. I remember signing birthday cards to my dad as “Sarah Davidson.”
I NOTICED THAT YOU HAVE THREE DOTS IN A ROW IN YOUR NAME – “JII” – DID YOU EVER DO ANYTHING INTERESTING WITH THAT IN YOUR SIGNATURE?
Not really. My dad is an artist though and he made it into a cool art project. He used a white handprint on black paper to spell out “Kojii” with the dots above the fingertips, if you can picture that. He particularly liked that there were three dots in a row. Kojii is traditionally spelled with just one “I” – Koji – but he added the second “I.”
DO YOU HAVE ANY OTHER FAVORITE NAMES OR TRENDS?
Not really. I love unisex names though.
DO YOU HAVE ANY ADVICE FOR PARENTS CHOOSING NAMES?
Think about it very carefully because it’s a hard decision! Think about what the name means—you want a good meaning! Don’t just choose any name. Also, think of all the jokes someone could make out of a name before you pick it.
ANYTHING ELSE YOU’D LIKE TO SHARE WITH SOON-TO-BE PARENTS?
I had a home birth and it was incredible. It was pain-free.
WOW! HOW DID YOU DO THAT?
I had an amazing midwife. She came over about once a week leading up to the birth to work with me. I was really worried about pain medications transferring to the baby during birth, so I didn’t use any. I didn’t need them. It was such an amazing experience. It ended up being pain free. I definitely recommend home births to other women.
THANKS, KOJII!
Tune in this Thursday, 11/19/09 for the Project Runway / Models of the Runway finale!
Learn more about Kojii at her websites:
http://kojiihelnwein.wordpress.com/
Want more baby name information? Follow my blog! You can subscribe to the RSS feed so you don’t miss any baby name posts.
You can also follow me on TWITTER to get up-to-the-minute celebrity baby name news, interesting names I come across and so much more! I’m @babynameauthor!
♥ Amanda
If you have baby name questions for me, email me at amanda@amandabarden.com.
Your question might appear in a future edition of Ask Amanda.
For more information on baby names and their meanings check out
BABY NAMES MADE EASY: THE COMPLETE REVERSE-DICTIONARY OF BABY NAMES
Do you or someone you know have a one-of-a-kind name? Is there an interesting story behind why you chose your baby’s name?
If so, email me and tell me all about it! I love learning about new names and hearing fun naming stories. You never know, you just might appear on my Notable Names page!
Models of the Runway (courtesy Lifetime TV)
