Lucille Ball Was Blindsided When Desi Arnaz Chose Their Firstborn’s Name Without Consulting Her

Aug 12, 2025 by apost team

When Lucille Ball gave birth to her first child with Desi Arnaz, she was blindsided. In a stunning twist, it was Arnaz who named their newborn son, making the choice entirely on his own. Ball didn’t learn what her baby was called until the ink had already dried on the birth certificate. The name – now permanent – was a surprise even to the mother who had just brought him into the world.

The couple first crossed paths in 1940 while working on the musical comedy “Too Many Girls.” Their romance moved quickly, with an engagement and a wedding following shortly afterward. However, their marriage was far from smooth. Their relationship was plagued by infidelity and arguments, leading to a separation in 1944 when Ball filed for divorce and left their home in Chatsworth, California.

On the night before their scheduled court appearance, the couple had a change of heart and reunited. Despite Ball appearing in court the next morning, she ultimately returned to Arnaz, rendering the divorce legally void due to her renewed cohabitation with him.

Though they stayed together for some time after that, their relationship continued to be turbulent, and they ultimately finalized their divorce in 1960, ending their 20-year marriage.

According to Todd S. Purdum in his biography “Desi Arnaz: The Man Who Invented Television,” Ball had already envisioned names for their future children as early as 1943. In affectionate letters to her husband during that period, she often signed off as “Susan and Desi Jr.” However, things didn’t pan out the way she expected them to.

Ball faced several miscarriages early in her marriage, and doctors eventually discovered that a fallopian tube had been mistakenly sealed during treatment. After undergoing a corrective procedure, Ball successfully conceived again in 1950 at the age of 39. On July 17, 1951, she delivered her first child via cesarean section.

According to journalist Purdum, Ball was overjoyed to become a mother and eagerly asked to see her newborn as soon as the anesthesia wore off. “I want to see Susan!” she exclaimed, assuming she and her husband, Arnaz, had settled on that name, honoring her friend, actress Susan Peters, who had been paralyzed in a tragic accident. 

The nurse, however, corrected her:

“You mean Lucie?”

Unbeknownst to Lucy, Desi had already named their daughter Lucie Desiree after Lucy’s mother and grandmother. Though surprised, Ball accepted the gesture without objection, appreciating the sentiment behind it.

In January 1953, Ball gave birth to their second child, Desi Arnaz Jr., who quickly became one of the most recognizable babies in the country. His birth was even integrated into an episode of “I Love Lucy.” Though he dabbled in acting, Desi Jr. eventually stepped away from the spotlight and now rarely gives interviews.

Now in their 70s, both Lucie and Desi Jr. spoke candidly to Purdum, reflecting on life as children of television royalty. Despite the public’s admiration of their parents’ chemistry, Desi Jr. revealed their home life was often filled with conflict:

“It wasn’t good for anyone.”

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Lucille Ball’s journey to motherhood was filled with heartbreak, resilience, and unexpected joy. What else do you know about her story? Let us know, and then pass this along to fans of the actress who would love to know more about the real woman behind the legend!