NEWSNicole Richie Confirms Teenage Daughter's Name Change After Her 18th Birthday Post Went Viral
Nicole Richie confirmed that daughter Harlow changed her name after her 18th birthday post went viral.
Jan. 15 2026, Published 1:01 p.m. ET
Nicole Richie confirmed her daughter does not go by Harlow anymore — and she hasn’t for a long time.
At a Wednesday, January 14, event for makeup brand Nude by Nature, the actress, 44, responded to the buzz surrounding her teen’s new moniker.
Richie said, “Yeah, she goes by her middle name. She has her whole life.”
Nicole Richie said it's 'wild and fun' to raise teenagers.
On Monday, January 12, the fashion designer posted an Instagram photo dump celebrating her child’s birthday, tagging her as “Kate” rather than “Harlow.”
"18 years of you ♥️🎂 @katemaddennn,” she wrote on a post with several past and present photos of them together.
Social media users flooded the comments section of the former reality star’s post, asking about the new name.
“Happy Birthday!? Did she change her name?” one user questioned, while another wrote, “She may be going by a middle name so that she remained a bit anonymous for a while.”
Richie admitted she did not read the comments but understands the confusion.
"I didn't look, but it makes sense … she goes by her middle name,” she said at Wednesday’s event.
Nicole Richie Reflects on Parenting Teenagers
Nicole Richie is married to Joel Madden.
Richie shares Harlow Kate, 18, and Sparrow, 16, with husband Joel Madden. She previously admitted how “wild and fun” it is to raise two teenagers.
“I just so clearly remember what it’s like to be a teenager. It feels like it happened yesterday for me. And they know everything I did,” she said during a December 2024 interview. “I knew before I had them that I was going to have to be transparent with them about who I was. And I’ve actually found freedom in that. I didn’t want my kids having some big discovery about me. And I’ve always been very open and honest with my kids and hope that they are open and honest with me.”
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Nicole Richie's daughter goes by her middle name.
The Simple Life alum tries to relate to her kids by recalling stories from her own teenage years.
"I very much remember I think now that I'm seeing my kids at an age where I remember everything from that age, so they'll be telling me stories of whatever the comings and goings of them and their friends, and it sounds exactly like what I was going through senior year," she told an outlet in October 2025. "It's fun. It's like a TV show."
Nicole Richie's Kids Stay Out of the Spotlight
Nicole Richie has two kids.
Compared to their famous parents, Kate and Sparrow generally keep a low profile. The teens made their red carpet debut alongside the stars at the premiere of Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead in Los Angeles, Calif., in April 2024.
