How Many Kids Does Elon Musk Have? Inside His Wild Family Life

Elon Musk’s reputation is rooted in technology and business. However, behind the business headlines, he is also one of the world’s most prolific parents. His surprisingly large family stands in stark contrast to his high-profile public image as the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX. Musk has openly worried about low birth rates, tweeting in 2022 that “doing my best to help the underpopulation crisis.” He says that “a collapsing birth rate is the biggest danger civilization faces by far.” So, how many children does Elon Musk have? In this article, we summarize everything known about Elon Musk’s kids and their mothers.

Elon Musk’s Kids From First Marriage

Musk’s first marriage to author Justine Wilson produced his first six children. The couple wed in 2000. Their firstborn, Nevada Alexander Musk, was born in April 2002 but tragically died at 10 weeks old of sudden infant death syndrome. Undeterred, Wilson soon underwent IVF treatments. In 2004, she gave birth to twins, Griffin and Xavier. Xavier later came out as transgender at age 18, changing her name to Vivian Jenna Wilson. She cited her gender identity and desire to separate from her father as reasons.

Later in 2006, Wilson gave birth to triplet sons Kai, Saxon, and Damian. Little information is publicly available about them. Justine confirmed they were also conceived via IVF. Neither parent has spoken extensively about the boys.

Elon Musk’s marriage to Wilson deteriorated over time. Justine described feeling isolated despite their luxurious lifestyle. “Elon was obsessed with his work: When he was home, his mind was elsewhere,” she wrote. “I longed for deep and heartfelt conversations, for intimacy and empathy.”

Musk filed for divorce in the spring of 2008. He delivered the news through their marriage therapist. “I went into my therapist’s office and he had left a message for her to tell me that he was filing,” Justine recalled. Six weeks later, Musk was engaged to actress Talulah Riley.

The divorce was finalized in 2008. Musk reportedly paid Wilson $20 million under their postnuptial agreement. They share custody of their five surviving children, though their relationships remain strained.

Elon Musk’s Kids and Relationship with Grimes 

Musk started dating Canadian musician Claire Boucher, better known by her stage name Grimes, in the late 2010s. In May 2020, Grimes gave birth to their son X Æ A-12 Musk. The name initially contained characters “Æ” and “-12,” but California law required a slight change to X Æ A-Xii. The name is pronounced “X Ash A Twelve.” However, the parents simply call him “X.” This birth marked Musk’s seventh child.

The couple’s second child arrived in December 2021. Exa Dark Sideræl Musk, nicknamed “Y”, was born via surrogate. Her existence became public only when a reporter learned of the baby. A third child with Grimes, a son named Techno Mechanicus Musk, was born in July 2022. The pregnancy and birth remained private until Walter Isaacson’s biography revealed the existence of “Tau” in September 2023. Grimes later wrote that she wished she could show how cute Techno is, but prioritized keeping her babies out of the public eye.

Musk likes to give his children unusually creative names. Grimes later mentioned that with Musk, they sometimes simply call their daughter “Y”. Musk and Grimes’s relationship was famously on-and-off. As his companies grew, he often lived in Texas while she lived in Los Angeles. In September 2021, he told Page Six that he and Grimes were semi-separated but still on good terms, explaining their work kept them in different places. Grimes herself later described their romance as “very fluid,” saying “we live in separate houses. We’re best friends. We see each other all the time”.

The relationship finally ended in 2022. What followed was a bitter custody battle that played out across two states. Musk filed suit in Texas in September 2023 to establish parental rights. Grimes countersued in California, requesting primary physical custody and joint legal custody.

Surrogacy and Later Children

Beyond these high-profile relationships, Musk has had additional children in more private ways. In late 2021, Shivon Zilis, a Neuralink executive, gave birth to Elon Musk’s children, twins Strider and Azure. This birth went unreported for months until business filings were leaked in mid-2022.

The timing was notable: the twins arrived just weeks before Musk and Grimes’s daughter Exa. Neither he nor Zilis publicly announced the twins at the time. In early 2022, Reuters confirmed via legal documents that Musk and Zilis had petitioned to change the twins’ names to include Musk’s surname. Strider and Azure (boy and girl) are Musk’s ninth and tenth living children.

Musk’s family expanded further when Zilis later gave birth to two more children. In February 2024, Musk and Zilis welcomed a daughter, Arcadia. Zilis announced Arcadia’s birth via a social media post. Then, in early 2025, it was confirmed they had a fourth child together: a son, Seldon Lycurgus Musk.

In the latter half of 2024, Musk also had a child with influencer Ashley St. Clair. In September 2024, they became parents to a son named Romulus. St. Clair revealed the pregnancy on social media in February 2025, resulting in legal filings that identified Musk as the father. A Wall Street Journal report later confirmed his “probability of paternity” at 99.9999%.) Musk did not publicly announce Romulus’s birth; it only became known when St. Clair spoke out.

Musk’s Parenting Philosophy

Though Musk seldom discusses his kids in detail, he has revealed some principles and philosophies about parenting. He is publicly a pro-natalist who often warns of the dangers of a declining birth rate and encourages large families. For example, in July 2022, he tweeted, “Please have more children!” and later added, “I hope you have big families and congrats to those who already do!”

In December 2021, he told a Wall Street Journal CEO council that he believed falling birth rates threaten civilization: “I think one of the biggest risks to civilization is the low birth rate. If people don’t have more children, civilization is going to crumble. Mark my words.”

Reuters has noted that he even publicly joked on Twitter about confronting an “underpopulation crisis,” Writing, “Doing my best to help the underpopulation crisis… a collapsing birth rate is the biggest danger civilization faces by far”. These statements demonstrate that he views growing families as a personal and societal priority.

Elon Musk takes an unconventional approach to parenting. He once said Grimes took the lead in caring for their young son. However, he plans to be more involved as the children grow, exposing them to travel and culture in places like China and Japan.

Skeptical of traditional education, he founded Ad Astra (later Astra Nova), a school focused on critical thinking and self-directed learning. He believes his kids learn more from YouTube and Reddit than from classes and requires them to read twice as much as they game. He also values adversity, saying it builds resilience, and largely keeps his family life private.

Public Controversies on Family Size

Musk’s large family and outspoken views on reproduction have fueled public debate. Some praise his pronatalist stance as a warning about population decline, while others call it tone-deaf and privileged. Critics argue that his immense wealth shields him from the financial challenges of raising many children, unlike ordinary families. The Wall Street Journal reported in April 2025 that he privately discussed plans for “legion-level” offspring and allegedly offered money to women for cooperation. These are claims he denied as “false” and unethical.

Musk’s reproductive choices have sparked intense debate. Critics argue his approach commodifies women and children. Multiple relationships, IVF use, and surrogacy arrangements raise ethical questions about treating reproduction as a transactional process.

His daughter Vivian has been particularly vocal. She told NBC News that Musk was “cold,” “quick to anger,” and “narcissistic.” She described him as an absent father who was cruel to her for exhibiting feminine traits.

The public rift intensified when Musk appeared on Jordan Peterson’s show. He claimed Vivian was “killed by the woke mind virus” and that he’d been “tricked” into approving gender-affirming care. He used her deadname and stated she was “not a girl.”

Vivian responded forcefully. She told NBC News that Musk hadn’t been tricked and understood the treatment he approved. “I’m not just gonna let that slide,” she said.

There have been several family tensions regarding Elon Musk’s kids. His daughter Vivian has disowned him, and influencer Ashley St. Clair, mother of his son Romulus, sought sole custody, accusing him of being uninvolved. Supporters counter that he provides financially and maintains respectful relations with his children’s mothers. However, critics see his family dynamics as emblematic of his detachment and privilege.

Balancing Career and Fatherhood

Musk’s ambitious career, which includes overseeing Tesla, SpaceX, and other ventures, often competes with time for family. Severally, he has commented on the juggling act. When asked in 2022 about being a father to ten children, he called himself an “autumn chicken,” implying he might slow down having more kids to focus on parenting.

In practice, he admits to spending more time on his companies, especially while his children are young. He told the New York Times that with a baby at home, “Grimes has a much bigger role than me right now,” but he plans to step up later. He explained that when the children grow older, he intends to involve them in global experiences like visiting historical sites on his business trips.

However, Musk’s limited availability has been noted by his family members. In a 2024 interview, Vivian (his daughter) said he was there maybe 10% of the time when she was growing up, even though he had half custody. Ashley St. Clair has said that Musk met their son Romulus only three times and had no involvement in day-to-day care.

These criticisms highlight the tension between his business commitments and his role as a parent. Musk has not publicly refuted them in detail, though he has denied allegations of neglect. In general, he appears to rely on co-parents and caregivers for the younger children, saving direct involvement for when they are older.

As with all working parents, the balance is not perfect. However, he occasionally shares glimpses. For instance, he has tweeted photos with his son X. In December 2024, Musk arrived at a congressional meeting with X on his shoulders. But for the most part, he keeps his children’s daily lives private.

Privacy Concerns and Media Attention

Elon Musk’s kids are largely kept out of the public eye, but media curiosity continues to follow the family. After the birth of X in 2020, Grimes posted on his social platform asking the public to respect their family’s boundaries, emphasizing her desire to keep her babies out of the spotlight. Similarly, when Ashley St. Clair announced her pregnancy in 2025, she later pleaded for privacy after the birth, asking for empathy and compassion for her newborn.

Despite these requests, many details about his younger children have emerged through court documents or investigative reporting rather than voluntary disclosure. Insider uncovered the 2021 birth of twins Strider and Azure through legal filings. Additionally, Exa Dark Sideræl’s existence was revealed only after a journalist visited Grimes’s home. Romulus’s birth also became public when St. Clair filed for custody.

Occasionally, Musk’s son X has appeared publicly, such as at conferences or in official photos, including a 2025 Oval Office image. Still, such moments are rare, as he seldom shares family images. When privacy is violated, he reacts strongly, criticizing outlets like The Wall Street Journal for invasive reporting.

Conclusion: Elon Musk’s Kids and Family Legacy

Elon Musk’s kids represent his most personal experiment. While he engineers electric cars and reusable rockets, he’s simultaneously engineering a family on an unprecedented scale.

His parenting style and family arrangements have been described in media reports as unconventional or even controversial. Musk promotes innovative education and adventurous learning for his kids, but does not follow traditional parenting roles for infants. He seems to view his children as part of his mission to inspire and perhaps populate a future for humanity.

Yet details about their day-to-day lives are largely unknown to the public, as he and the mothers have largely shielded them from media view. Ultimately, Musk’s family will be part of his legacy by virtue of scale and uniqueness, even if it raises questions. His children will grow up with extraordinary wealth and ambitious parents, and it remains to be seen how many of them will follow in his footsteps.