North West going up? Kim Kardashian and Kanye West claim baby's name is 'metaphorical not directional'

Kanye West and a heavily pregnant Kim Kardashian at the Met Ball in May. They have called their baby daughter North West (Getty Images)

When Kim Kardashian and Kanye West announced that their new baby daughter would be named North West, their decision was met with confusion. But it now emerges that the name does not, in fact, refer to the direction North-west.

Kimye have set the record straight by confirming the name is meant as a metaphor for “up”.

“What’s North of North? Nothing,” the pair said, according to US gossip site TMZ.

The name North apparently represents the "pinnacle" of the couple’s relationship, and the two are reported to refer to her as their “North Star”.

North's naming provoked a number of jokes on Twitter on Friday, including a parody account for the new baby @Its_North_West, whose description reads: “You may laugh at my name but I laugh at your bank balance.”

The Independent’s Grace Dent also suggested on Twitter: “Kanye’s baby’s name is taken from his love of Carlisle, which is non-arguably ‘the Manhattan of the North-West'.”

If North’s name is indeed metaphorical, she can always change it to Nadir if her parents break up.