George and Amal Clooney's baby names have very sweet meanings

This is adorable

Words by Jadie Troy-Pryde

Earlier this week George and Amal Clooney welcomed not one but two bundles of joy. The couple only announced that they were expecting twins in February, and many of their celebrity friends, including Cindy Crawford and Matt Damon, have spoken about how excited they were to become parents.

Now that George and Amal have welcomed their twins, Ella and Alexander, to the world many have been speculating about why they may have opted for those monikers - and the meanings behind them are actually very sweet.

A-listers usually choose unusual names for their children (from Gywneth Paltrow's Apple, to Cheryl and Liam's Bear), but the Clooney's have shied away from the Hollywood norm for these classics.

Ella is a traditionally English name, a shortened version of Eleanor or Ellen, and is defined in Old English as 'fairy woman', but has also been translated to mean 'light'.

Alexander, however, goes all the way back to the Greeks and Alexander the Great. It means 'defender of man' and was the 16th most popular name for baby boys last year according to BabyCentre. Coincidentally it's also the middle name of our little Prince George.

In a statement announcing the twins' arrival, their spokesperson said: 'This morning Amal and George welcomed Ella and Alexander Clooney into their lives. Ella, Alexander and Amal are all healthy, happy and doing fine.

'George is sedated and should recover in a few days.'

We can't wait to meet baby Ella and Alexander, and we're sure that George and Amal are going to make wonderful parents.