Jessica Simpson would like her baby son to excel like his father, former NFL player Eric Johnson, his middle name is Knute – apparently in homage to Knute Rockne, regarded as one of the greatest coaches in American football history.

However, others have not been so quick to appreciate the name chosen by the celebrity couple.

Just hours after his birth, Ace Knute Johnson has been targeted by “cowardly” online bullies.

Becoming the latest celebrity new-born to be attacked by internet trolls over his name, Ace has been branded “stupid and ugly” in dozens of Twitter messages.

Jessica Simpson, 32, has been accused of preparing him for a lifetime of bullying.

The singer, who is engaged to former NFL player Eric Johnson, gave birth to her son on Sunday afternoon.

The couple revealed their baby’s name to a US magazine and within hours they were being plagued by hateful messages.

Jessica Simpson’s newborn son Ace Knute Johnson was mocked by online bullies for his unusual name

One Tweeter speculated that Ace would be nicknamed “Ass Nut Johnson” at school while others questioned whether the name was a mistake.

“Knute? Did she mean Newt? Because Knute is a made up word, or Eskimo for <<Jessica Simpson is an idiot>>!” one wrote.

Referring to the trend celebrity parents to give their offspring unusual names, another posted: “Another week, another ridiculous baby name. Yes, Jessica Simpson, I mean you.”

Last night campaigners reacted to the tweets by branding those responsible “cowardly” and “small and nasty”. And they called for an end to trolling.

Susie Boone, of parenting site Made for Mums, said: “Celebrity or not these people are brand new parents and any new mum and dad will be feeling extremely vulnerable just after giving birth.

“It’s a very emotional experience, sometimes it can be a very worrying experience and it can be quite long and exhausting. 

“There’s a pressure now for celebrities to announce the birth of their child and then everyone wants to know what the name is.

“They’re trying to get that information out and it’s very sad that people are coming in straight away and attacking them.”

Siobhan Freegard, founder of Net Mums, added that she was “fed up with this cowardly practice” and described the people responsible as “mean spirited, small and nasty”.

She went on to say that Ace, which means first, is an “unusual but not unheard of” name.

The middle name, Knute, is in honor of Eric Johnson’s Swedish grandfather.

This is not the first time Jessica Simpson has been targeted by Twitter trolls.

When she announced the name of her daughter, Maxwell, 14 months, she was accused of being a “terrible mother” for naming the girl “after an elderly man”.

Other stars to have been subjected to online bullying following the birth of their children include television presenter Fearne Cotton, reality star Kim Kardashian and Coleen Rooney, wife of England footballer Wayne Rooney.

Jessica Simpson, who gave birth via a scheduled C-section, was open with her fans throughout her pregnancy.

In March she revealed she was expecting a boy and admitted finding pregnancy much harder the second time round.

Jessica Simpson said: “This pregnancy is the complete opposite. With Maxwell, I felt amazing. I could do everything, eat everything, do whatever I wanted. I had a lot of energy. This time around I’m exhausted.”