Ever since welcoming their daughter in September 2022, Brian Dowling and Arthur Gourounlian have been absolutely besotted with baby Blake.
As have their followers, as the pair have been documenting their journey and experiences with parenthood. Meaning that at less than a year old, Blake is already an A-lister.
But while the name Baby Blake has become iconic, their daughter was nearly given a different moniker.
Speaking on his 98 FM today radio show with Suzanne Kane, the presenter revealed their daughter was nearly named River.
The pair opted out of the name River, after Brian’s sister Aoife rejected it.
As Aoife joked they might as well name their child Lake if they liked the name River.
And so it was back to the drawing board, where they settled on the name Blake, liking the fact it was gender-neutral and would match Brian’s initials.
Explaining their love for the name Blake after her birth, Brian said: “We liked names that could be used for boys or girls.”
“We had the name first. I really, really liked a good few names and we settled on Blake and then BDG, Brian Dowling Gourounlian, Blake Gourounlian.”
“Then Maria Rose. Arthur’s mum and my mum. She is just perfect in every way.”
