Parents defend naming daughter after Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce

By Michael Lee Simpson

Parents have defended naming their newborn daughter after Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift despite "super negative" claims they did it for attention.

Haley Richardson, 26, a stay-at-home mom, and Robert Dillon, 34, a delivery driver, welcomed Kelce Taylor-Grace on July 24 at The University of Kansas Health System's Liberty Hospital, weighing 7lbs 7oz.

Haley and Robert from Richmond, Missouri, say the name honors family traditions and reflects admiration for Kelce and Swift’s character - not their celebrity.

But online haters have hit out at the couple after the name was shared online by Liberty Hospital, subjecting the family to unexpected scrutiny and accusations they named their child purely for attention or to receive gifts from the famous couple.

But the couple insist they never sought fame or gifts, and just wanted to share a joyful moment in their lives.

"With her name going viral, some people are just super negative, saying we did this for attention," Robert said.

"But in the original post that Liberty Hospital shared, our names weren't in it, our faces weren't in it.

He added: "It was simply about her and her name, almost like just a birth announcement."

The engaged couple emphasized they never sought material gain from their naming choice.

"We haven't received a thing, we haven't asked for a thing, we don't want anything," Robert said.

"Our goal wasn't to get possessions. It was just to share a moment in our lives that we thought people would think was cool."

Haley added: "People keep saying she's named after the couple, and while she may have the couple's names, that wasn't ever the intention.

"Kelce Taylor flows well and is really pretty as a name in general."

Robert's two sons from a previous relationship -10 and 6 - both also have five-letter names starting with K.

Additionally, Haley incorporated her middle name, Grace, into her daughter's hyphenated middle name.

"We're not super fans of Travis and Taylor as a couple," Haley said.

"We are huge fans of them as individuals because of the work they do in the community and the philanthropic work that makes them genuinely good human beings."

The couple hopes their daughter will embody these same qualities of generosity and kindness.

"I just want her to be kind, show compassion, have empathy for people, and know that every time she goes somewhere, try and leave that place better when she leaves than when she walked through the door," Robert added.

Despite a challenging pregnancy which included gestational diabetes and preeclampsia, Haley describes Kelce as "a really super sweet, easy baby" who is "pretty chill".

The new parents are looking forward to raising their daughter in the Kansas City area.

As for the rumors that Kelce and Swift have reached out or sent gifts to the family, Robert dismissed them.

"There's a bunch of fake news articles out there saying they've sent us gifts. We haven't heard from them, nor have we received anything," he said.

Haley hopes her daughter will learn an important lesson from her namesakes.

"Taylor and Travis don't do their philanthropic work or charity work to get attention. They do it because it's what they want to do," she said.

"I want her to know that not everything good that you do has to be announced to the world, and you can do things in the quiet without expecting anything in return."