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Inspiration behind Beyonce's name revealed

Feb 15, 2013, 7:01 GMT

Beyonce at the Life Is But A Dream premiere

Beyonce was given her name by her mother to save her own father's legacy.

The singer's got her unusual moniker because her mother Tina Knowles was worried her own pre-married family name Beyince would die out because they weren't many boys to carry on her dad's surname.

Speaking at the premiere of the 'If I Were A Boy' hitmaker's new HBO documentary 'Life Is But A Dream', Beyonce's maternal uncle Roland Beyince said: 'My sister Tina didn't think we had enough boys in the family to keep the [Beyince] name going, so she gave Beyonce our last name as the first name.'

The premiere took place at the Ziegfeld Theatre in New York on Tuesday (12.02.13) and was attended by Beyonce and her husband Jay-Z as well as a host of stars including Oprah Winfrey, Chris Rock and Russell Simmons.

The 31-year-old R&B superstar admitted she hopes the tell-all film will inspire her and Jay-Z's 13-month-old daughter Blue Ivy Carter. Beyonce said: 'I hope that she will see all of the beautiful times [and] all the tough times that led up to her being here. I'm hoping that ... it can comfort her and inspire her in her life when she needs it.'