Did JD Vance Tuck a Hidden Reference in His New Son's Name?
Second Lady Usha Vance and Vice President J.D. Vance welcomed their fourth child on Sunday.
According to Newsweek, the second couple named their new son Alec Neel Vance.
After connecting a series of dots, one cannot help but wonder if the vice president named his new son after an actor who portrayed one of the wisest and most beloved characters in cinematic history.
In 1977’s “Star Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope,” Oscar-winning English actor Alec Guinness played Jedi master Ben (Obi-Wan) Kenobi. Guinness also made ghostly appearances as Kenobi in the other two installments of that initial “Star Wars” trilogy: 1980’s “The Empire Strikes Back” and 1983’s “Return of the Jedi.”
In and of itself, of course, the name “Alec” does not necessarily conjure thoughts of “Star Wars.” After all, the legendary actor passed away in 2000 at the age of 86.
Connecting those aforementioned dots, however, does raise questions about the Vances’ choice of names.
First of all, their eldest child bears the name “Ewan.”
The generation of “Star Wars” fans that came of age since Guinness’ passing knows Scottish actor Ewan McGregor as Kenobi. McGregor played the beloved Jedi in the three “Star Wars” prequels: 1999’s “The Phantom Menace,” 2002’s “Attack of the Clones,” and 2005’s “Revenge of the Sith.” Then, in a 2022 miniseries, McGregor starred as the eponymous “Kenobi.”
Now, the Alec-Ewan combination could amount to a mere coincidence. If so, however, it would be a statistically remarkable one.
According to the Social Security Administration, in 2025 “Alec” ranked 977th among male birth names. Only 234 boys born in the United States last year received that name.
Likewise, the name “Ewan” has not appeared among the top 1,000 birth names in any year since 2000.
Thus, mathematically inclined readers undoubtedly would agree that the probability of randomly finding the names “Alec” and “Ewan” in the same family is minuscule.
For the remaining dots, we must look to the vice president’s activity on the social media platform X.
“Prequels were underrated!” he wrote in May 2025 in response to a conservative influencer’s criticisms of those films.
Prequels were underrated!
— JD Vance (@JDVance) May 5, 2025
So what, right? After all, the “Star Wars” franchise earned so much popularity that anyone could make a passing comment about them.
Consider, then, the vice president’s 2021 remarks on 2017’s “The Last Jedi,” part of the sequel trilogy.
“The Last Jedi is a cruel movie not only because it ruined Luke, but because it ruined Yoda too,” he wrote.
PEG has picked up on something important. The Last Jedi is a cruel movie not only because it ruined Luke, but because it ruined Yoda too. https://t.co/6YWwu7CNfs
— JD Vance (@JDVance) July 31, 2021
That 2021 post, of course, reflects intimate knowledge of “Star Wars” canon. The vice president sounded not only knowledgeable of the characters but protective of them.
In short, plenty of circumstantial evidence suggests that the Vances drew inspiration from a galaxy far, far away.
If, one day, we hear of a “Yoda Vance,” then we may dispense with all guesswork.
Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. Advertise Today.
Truth and Accuracy
We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.
