Huge congrats to actor Eddie Redmayne and his wife Hannah Bagshawe, who are now parents to a little baby girl. A spokesperson for the couple confirmed that Iris Mary Redmayne was born on June 16 — and we can’t get over how adorable the name is.
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Iris is obviously the name of a flower, but its official meaning is “rainbow” (best baby name meaning ever. Fact). Along with other turn-of-the-last-century flower names that have become super popular in recent years, such as Rose, Daisy and Violet, Iris may have celebrity parents to thank for its comeback. Leslie Mann, Jude Law and Sadie Frost and Renee O’Connor and Judd Apatow all named their daughters Iris. In 2015, Iris was the 217th most popular baby girl name, its highest ranking since the 1930s.
Jodie Foster, Jane Fonda and Kate Winslet have all played characters named Iris on screen, and one of the most famous bearers of the name was British novelist Iris Murdoch.
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According to Greek mythology, Iris is the goddess of the rainbow who used it as a bridge to ride from heaven to earth. In ancient times, the iris was believed to represent power and majesty, with its three petal segments symbolizing faith, wisdom and valor. It’s this that led to both the flower and the colored part of the eye being called the iris.
Redmayne has had an incredible couple of years, winning an Oscar for his portrayal of Professor Stephen Hawking in The Theory of Everything and receiving critical acclaim and a slew of award nominations for his role in The Danish Girl. Last week, he was named as the new face of Prada menswear, and he plays the main character in the upcoming J.K. Rowling fantasy drama Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.
In an interview during Bagshawe’s pregnancy, Redmayne made an admission that a lot of parents will relate to. “We’ve got our first [parenting] book, which is looking at us, and we are staring guiltily as we should be learning how to be parents, but we haven’t opened them yet,” he said.
Books or no books, we reckon fatherhood is one role Redmayne will handle just fine.
More: This printable guide is about to solve all your baby-naming squabbles
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