Oliver, Harry and Jack were among the most popular baby boy names in 2017, which is why Liam Payne and Cheryl surprised with their choice of moniker.

The late One Direction star – who will be laid to rest on 20 November following his death last month – and his ex-partner welcomed their son Bear on 22 March 2017, but initially told fans: “We haven’t named him yet.”

© Instagram
Liam Payne welcomed his son with Cheryl in 2017

Liam later admitted that they had different priorities for their son’s name, with Cheryl preferring something “unusual” while Liam leaned towards something “traditional.”

They went with the former after a sweet moment during Bear’s birth, which served as inspiration for his name.

When Bear was six months old, the ‘Strip That Down’ singer explained on The Late Late Show with James Corden that the midwife affectionately nicknamed his newborn baby “little bear” in the delivery room, and the moniker stuck.

© Instagram
The One Direction star and The X Factor judge wanted different names for their newborn

“He had this thing where if they don’t have a good cry, they get fluid in their lungs, which is quite serious, so he was like going ‘grrrr.’

“I had like 10 doctors come in the room, and in the end, the guy was just like, ‘Dude, I’m not being funny. There’s nothing wrong with him. He just likes to make a lot of noise.’ And that’s carried on ever since, so he just became Bear.”

Despite being “unsure” initially about Bear, he came around to the idea that it was an unforgettable name, which suited his son.

“The reason [Cheryl] 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,” he told Total Access in May 2017.

© Liam Payne
Liam nicknamed his son Cub

“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.”

Meanwhile, the doting father had his own sweet nickname for his son. During a Q&A in Chicago in May 2017, he opened up about his two-month-old backstage at B96 Radio Station.

One fan recalled: “He said his proudest moment was Bear and said at first he called him Cub a lot.”

Bear’s birth

Liam and Cheryl kept their pregnancy low-key, only announcing they were expecting the month before Bear was born.

The former couple – who had been in a relationship for a year when they welcomed their son – shared their first photo of the newborn in Liam’s arms.

He wrote in the emotional caption: “I’m incredibly happy to welcome our new baby boy into the world, it’s a moment that I will never forget for the rest of my life and my favourite memory I have so far.

“I’m completely in awe of his incredible mother and how she has been the whole way through this, she’s really made my dreams come true.”

© Instagram
Cheryl and Liam have chosen to keep their son’s identity private

Liam and Cheryl decided to call time on their romantic relationship one year later.

They released a joint statement which read: “We are sad to announce that we are going our separate ways. We still have so much love for each other as a family. Bear is our world and we ask that you respect his privacy as we navigate our way through this together.”

Liam’s funeral

Liam died on 16 October after falling from the balcony at Casa Sur Hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

The musician’s body was released by Argentinian authorities to his family earlier this month. Liam’s father, Geoff Payne, travelled to Buenos Aires for the repatriation.

His private funeral will take place on 20 November in the Home Counties. As well as Cheryl and Bear, the mourners who are set to pay their respects include his former One Direction bandmates Harry Styles, 30, Niall Horan, 31, Zayn Malik, 31, and Louis Tomlinson, 32, according to The Sun.