The varied spelling is actually a homage to Beyoncé’s mother Tina Knowles’ maiden name.
Knowles spoke about the history of her family name on Heather Thomson’s In My Heart podcast in 2020.
“A lot of people don’t know that Beyoncé is my last name. It’s my maiden name,” Knowles said.
Knowles explained that the spelling of the name varied among family members, some using an ‘O’, others using an ‘I’.
“I think me and my brother Skip were the only two that had B-E-Y-O-N-C-E,” Knowles explained.
“We asked my mother when I was grown. I was like, ‘Why is my brother’s name spelled B-E-Y-I-N-C-E? You know, it’s all these different spellings.’ And my mom’s reply to me was, like, ‘That’s what they put on your birth certificate.'”
“So I said, 'Well, why didn't you argue and make them correct it?' And she said, 'I did one time. The first time, and I was told ‘Be happy that you're getting a birth certificate’ because, at one time, Black people didn't get birth certificates."
Cowboy Carter is the second in a trilogy of albums that began with the musician’s 2022 release Renaissance, and will be released on Mar. 29.
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