The meaning of ‘9 by Design’ Robert and Cortney Novogratz’s children’s funny names

Bravo’s 9 by Design stars Cortney and Robert Novogratz are an achingly hipsterish couple who transform run-down spaces into magazine-ready bohemian design marvels. All they need is a at least $100,000 and a trip to the flea market, and they’re good to go.

Not only is their design style deliciously quirky, but the names of their seven children also have the “found items” type appeal (“Breaker” “Five”?). Is there a method behind this madness, or did they just throw darts at letters on the wall to come up with these names?

Daddy Novogratz posted the following reason behind the names on his Bravo blog:

1. Wolfgang (12) – named after Wolfgang Mozart (Novogratz is Austrian, as is Mozart)

2. Bellamy (11) – French name, meaning beautiful friend

3. Tallulah (11) – Cortney is from Georgia, very southern name, ie. Tallulah Bankhead

4. Breaker (9) – named after Harry Breaker Morant from the Australian movie Breaker Morant. He was a scholar, a poet, an opera singer, a soldier, and the best horseman in all of Australia (he broke all of the wild horses)

5. Five (4) – He was obviously our fifth child…

6. Holleder (4) – named after Don Holleder, an All American quarterback at West Point. He was killed in Vietnam in a very heroic act of saving his own men. He was loved by my Pops and all that new him. His guys nicknamed him Holly, and we did as well.

Kind of interesting, but Five still got gypped. His brother’s was named after quarterback and war hero and he’s just named Five because he’s the fifth child.

Their seventh child, Major, was born during filming.