Zooey Deschanel Names Her Daughter 'Elsie Otter,' Remains Extremely On Brand

Zooey Deschanel was at first reticent to share the name of her now three-month-old daughter, but she has—at last—ended her silence. No doubt you’ve been on pins and needles speculating, perhaps trying out various combinations of twee objects and icons, like Ukulele Sparrow or Bubble Pipe Tenenbaum. Well, agonize no longer: the Queen of Kitsch has named her daughter Elsie Otter.

Lest you have any questions regarding the latter half of the name, Deschanel and her husband Jacob Pechenik clarified for People magazine:

“‘It’s Elsie…’ Deschanel began, while Pechenik finished, ‘Otter.’ ‘Like the animal,’ the actress explained, with her husband adding, ‘Sea otter.’”

Wise distinction, guys. Everyone knows that river otters are not sufficiently Manic Pixie Dreamy.

Elsie Otter is precisely the sort of name I would expect the voice of She & Him/the female lead of (500) Days Of Summer/the ex-wife of Ben Gibbard to bestow upon her progeny. And to be perfectly honest, I like it. I like it because I love otters. In fact, who among us doesn’t love otters?

So, here’s to little Elsie Otter, born July of this year, and the cuteness of her name. And here is a video of sea otters, because one should never pass up an opportunity to watch nature’s most profound delight at play.