Actor Wilmer Valderrama welcomed his first daughter into the world with his partner Amanda Pacheco in February of this year. It wasn’t until a month later that they chose to reveal the name of their newborn daughter, Nakano. It’s an incredibly beautiful name! Wilmer is now sharing more on his journey to fatherhood.
During his appearance on Live with Kelly and Ryan, Wilmer shared the story about how he and Amanda came up with the name Nakano. It’s a Japanese name and the couple was inspired by following a trip they took to Japan. Wilmer recalled how spiritual their experience was and it was on that trip that they shared “I love yous” for the first time. They also came to the mutual conclusion that “family was really important to both of us and we made a plan for our future together,” Wilmer shared on the show.
He continued by sharing how serendipitous starting a family was. “There were so many signs – silly, funny, and really meaningful.” The actor revealed that he learned Amanda was pregnant on Father’s Day! Amanda took the pregnancy test on Father’s Day and both of their fathers happened to be at their home celebrating the holiday. While they kept it a secret for a while from most of their family, they did choose to tell their father’s on that day to make the moment special.
Live co-host Kelly Ripa asked Wilmer what some of the other signs were that the couple had seen and he outlined a series of signs in the days leading up to Nakano’s birthday. The first sign was seeing a white crane bird in his backyard, an animal he had never seen in his fifteen years living at the residence. White cranes are a much-prized bird among the Japanese, as it suggests longevity. Later, they attended an appointment with their doctor, where they saw multiple images of white cranes.
Amanda’s due date was set for February 15th and on the night of the 14th, after the couple celebrated their last Valentine’s Day before becoming parents, Amanda woke up in the middle of the night when her water broke. The time was exactly 1:43 AM on February 15th. 143 is often a symbol of I love you due to the number of letters in each word. Surprisingly, Nakano was born on her due date, which is rather rare. But that wasn’t the only serendipitous sign. February 15 is the birthday of Amanda’s mother, who passed away nearly 7 years ago from Ovarian cancer.
Wilmer and Amanda certainly had an amazing experience leading up to their life as parents! We wish them continued blessings as they raise their daughter Nakano.
Kate Fann (she/her) is the BabyNames.com celebrity blogger, as well as an established content writer, aspiring author, and social media expert. She has been featured in online publications such as Bolde, ManoByte, Medium, The Social Observer, and more. Kate has ghostwritten numerous romance novels and is currently working on publishing her own works in the Young Adult genre.
Kate lives in East Tennessee with her husband Casey and her two sons, Quinn and Noah. When she's not writing or scrolling Instagram, Kate can be found tasting delicious wines, playing with make-up, baking yummy treats, or hiking the beautiful Smoky Mountains.
