The Victoria’s Secret model welcomed her children less than two years apart

When she’s not on the fashion runway as a Victoria’s Secret Angel, Candice Swanepoel is busy being a mom to her two kids, Anacan and Ariel.

The South African model and Hermann Nicoli welcomed their son Anacan in October 2016, and their second son, Ariel, arrived in June 2018. Less than a year after giving birth to Anacan, Swanepoel celebrated her first Mother’s Day in May 2017 with a heartfelt message on Instagram.

“What a gift and precious responsibility it is to bring a new soul into the world. To love and teach to love just the same,” she wrote. “My life definitely started over on the day I met my baby.”

Later that August, Swanepoel told PEOPLE that the best part of motherhood is “everything.”

Over the years, she has shared glimpses of her children and spoken about what it’s like to see them grow. “I am a lucky woman to be their mommy, to help guide them through this thing called life,” she penned in June 2018. “Now they will always have each other Anacan & Ariel.”

Here’s everything to know about Candice Swanepoel’s kids, Anacan and Ariel.

Anacan, 9

Swanepoel welcomed her son Anacan on Oct. 5, 2016.

Anacan’s name was inspired by Nicoli’s native Brazil.

“It’s an indigenous name from the Amazon,” Swanepoel told PEOPLE. “I’ve always been amazed by the Indian culture of Brazil … We were talking names [and] it was the first one that popped into our heads that we both liked.”

Swanepoel revealed to British Vogue in May 2017 that they had added an “n” to the end of their son’s name.

“It’s pronounced ‘Anacan,’ ” she explained. “We’ve added the ‘n’ because the original spelling was Brazilian and doesn’t have the ‘n’ and it was a little confusing for everyone over here, and I didn’t want him to have issues, but he’ll still have his original name in Brazil.”

Anacan lived in Brazil until he was 5 months old, before he moved to New York with his mom. When asked if she’d be okay with Anacan following in her and fellow model Nicoli’s footsteps, Swanepoel explained that she wouldn’t want her children to pursue a career in it unless they were confident because “it’s not super easy.”

Since then, he has posed in front of the camera. Anacan appeared in a 2017 Gap campaign with Swanepoel in support of Every Mother Counts, wearing a striped outfit and red baseball cap.

“Motherhood is so different for each woman – it’s your unique journey, and I love that I’m able to share my experience as a mother in this project,” Candice said in a press release.

Anacan was promoted to big brother in June 2018 with the arrival of his little brother, Ariel. That September, Swanepoel described her firstborn as an “amazing big brother,” revealing that he was “kissing [Ariel] all the time.”

“It’s funny because he doesn’t know how to deal with the love,” she told PEOPLE. “And you know when you think something is really cute and you just want to squeeze it? He doesn’t know how to process that yet.”

Ariel, 6

Swanepoel welcomed her and Nicoli’s second child, Ariel, on June 19, 2018.

Months after Ariel’s birth, Swanepoel confessed that having two kids under the age of 2 was “pretty intense,” but “amazing.”

“To see the love between them is amazing,” she shared. “It’s a lot, I’m not gonna lie. The second one is a lot easier, but the situation of having two makes it harder.”

The model also joked, “My second one is an angel. ‘He’s like, ‘Mommy, I know you don’t need more stress.’ ”

When Ariel was 10 months old, Swanepoel described her son as “the happiest baby you will ever meet.” She’s also referred to Ariel as her “little lion boy.”

On his 4th birthday in 2022, Swanepoel wrote that Ariel is “so cool, so strong, so carefree, funny and loving,” adding, “He makes me smile and laugh and learn every day.”

Like his big brother, Ariel has modeled with his supermodel mom. Swanepoel’s kids joined her for a shoot for Vogue‘s winter 2025 issue.

Alongside pictures from the shoot, Swanepoel wrote on Instagram, “Brought a little extra sunshine to work that day ☀️ 🧒 👦 📸 @voguemagazine @britishvogue -Mother & SUNs 🌞🌞.”