Liam Payne Reveals How Naming His Son Bear Was an “Internal Battle”

This is paws-itively the cutest: Liam Payne reveals the story behind his son’s name, Bear!

“It was like an internal battle,” the One Direction member, 23, recalled to Total Access about how he and girlfriend Cheryl, 33, decided on what to call their first child.

“I wanted a more traditional name and she wanted a name that was more unusual. And the reason she chose Bear in the end was because Bear is a name that when you leave a room, you won’t forget. And I like that.”

In March, the couple shared a picture of their newborn and revealed that Bear was born on March 22, and weighed 7 lbs., 9 oz.

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“When I look at him, he’s just Bear. At first I wasn’t really having it. I was like, ‘I’m not really sure. I don’t really understand.’ Now I look at him and he’s Bear. You become your name as you get older anyway,” Payne added in his recent interview.

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Earlier this month, Payne tweeted to Bear Grylls, seemingly confirming his son’s name by writing, “Thanks man hope he grows with an ounce of your courage! [You’re] a boss” in response to “love & blessings” from the Man vs. Wild star.

News that the One Direction alum and former Girls Aloud member were expecting their first child was confirmed by PEOPLE in November, with Cheryl officially announcing her pregnancy in February via a stunning maternity photo shoot.

“She is a wonderful, wonderful person and it’s amazing to have someone who can relate to so much of things—someone who’s taken greater steps than me,” Payne told U.K.’s Rollacoaster magazine in March of Cheryl.

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He added, “She’s been my dream girl since I was younger. She’s so ace.”

Payne’s first solo song, “Strip That Down,” premieres on Friday.