Despite being known professionally as Brie Larson, the actress was born on the first of October 1989 as Brianne Sidonie Desaulniers, the daughter of Sylvain and Heather Desaulniers. So where does such a unique name come from? Larson's paternal grandparents were French-Canadian, hence the French-sounding name. When it came to acting, however, she decided to go with Larson, as she felt her surname was too difficult to pronounce. She took Larson from her great-grandmother's maiden name, as well deriving inspiration from Kristen Larson, an American Girl doll she owned when she was a young child.