Wilmer Valderrama has named his daughter Nakano Oceana Valderrama.
The ‘NCIS’ actor and his fiancée Amanda Pacheco welcomed their first child together on February 15, and a month later the star has revealed the sweet moniker the couple have chosen to bestow on their new arrival.
Speaking about choosing his daughter’s name, Wilmer said: "The name was exciting to figure out because, you know, everyone is gonna have an opinion. When we said the name, it created an unbelievable debate in our family. Some people thought it was off the wall, and others thought that it was just serendipitous and so beautiful.”
Nakano’s name was inspired by a trip Wilmer and Amanda took to Japan, during which time the happy couple said “I love you” for the first time.
The actor explained: “Amanda and I travelled the world on our first year of our relationship. We decided to just throw ourselves in the deep end, so we travelled the planet. And one of those big trips that we took was to Japan. There was something very spiritual about travelling there and really understanding the culture, to take it in, the spirituality of it all. It really touched us. That trip was just so beautiful and eye-opening.
"That was the trip where we decided we would be together, that we would really be together. Japan was a big moment for us. I was really proud of that trip because it really bonded us and gave us this security to just move forward and really plan life and really think about what we both really wanted."
Wilmer went on to detail how he and his partner researched ancient Japanese warriors whilst hunting for a suitable baby name, and ultimately found the legend of Takeko Nakano, a female samurai.
He said: "Nakano became something that felt strong, felt unique, felt different. I thought what a cool, fun little conversation topic for our daughter to have as she grows older. But also, the respect and the heritage, and the tribute to one of those beautiful moments where my fiancée and I said 'I love you' for the first time. To commemorate that trip to Japan with our first labour of love."
Nakano’s middle name, Oceana, is a tribute to her mother Amanda’s profession as a divemaster and her passion for marine life.
Wilmer told People magazine: "She's incredibly passionate about the ocean and diving and ocean life, so that was another tribute to her mom.”
