Marcus Lush named his baby after watching a ninja TV show

Marcus Lush with his oldest son Tracker. He named his new son Denver after watching a rerun of American Ninja Warrior.

Marcus Lush came up with some very strange suggestions for naming his newborn baby.

Among them, he tells Woman's Weekly, were "Steadfast ... Jupiter, Meteor, Otter, River, Forrest, Hurricane and Midnight".

But Lush, a radio host at Newstalk ZB, says his name suggestions - including "Rock, Granite and Coal" - were all vetoed by his partner, Vanessa Underwood.

Finally, Lush found his son's name while watching an episode of American Ninja Warrior, a spin-off of the Japanese series Sasuke in which competitors attempt a series of obstacle courses.

"I love that show ... I can't believe they haven't made a local version. But in that episode it was a final in Denver, and I just thought ... Denver just struck me as a really nice name to say. It's got very calming sounds in it, nothing harsh," Lush tells WW.

"Denver Midnight Lush. It's a bloody good name, right?"

Denver is a younger brother for Tracker, 2. Lush, 50 and Underwood say they're already thinking about having a third child.

"It's funny, you get obsessed with having kids, just because it's so much fun naming them," Lush says.

Lush hosts the 8pm-midnight show on Newstalk ZB.

- nzherald.co.nz